Jungle Beat Down
by okama-kenpo
Summary: An intended quick stop at a jungle island in the New World fades into quite the ordeal, leading the crew to experience a slew of obstacles, including narcotics, suggestive situations, and a fierce new enemy. Rated for drug use, sex, language, violence, and things of that nature. Some LuNa, some ZoSan, and some other things. - ON HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

* * *

Usopp was leaning out over the railing of the bird's nest in the Thousand Sunny, squinting his eyes towards the horizon. Rather than tending to her mikan oranges, as Nami appeared to be doing, she watched the crew's sharpshooter. Well. She was watching parts of him, anyway - just his legs, at first. But her eyes crept up his legs, higher, lingering in choice areas, and settled on his back. Usopp had changed drastically in the two years they had been away from each other. Nami approved of the change.

"Oi, Luffy!" Usopp shouted down to their captain, who was perched on the giant lion masthead of their ship. Luffy's hat had fallen down over his eyes, but at the sound of Usopp calling him, he snapped his head around. Usopp cupped his hands around his mouth, hanging over the edge of the rail, standing on the balls of his feet. "You see it?"

Luffy's head snapped back forward again and he stood, holding his hat on his head to keep it from blowing away in the breeze. After a couple seconds, he yelled back at Usopp. "I see it! An island!" He catapulted down onto the deck of the Sunny. "Full speed ahead!"

Nami could hear a throaty "Suuuper!" from the back of the ship, and the whole thing shuttered with a noticeable speed increase. Luffy stood with his hands on his hips, grinning at nothing, excited about the new island and a chance to stretch his legs.

Usopp slid down the length of a rope, his gloved hands protecting him from burns, and he landed solidly on the deck near Luffy. The two stood next to each other for a moment, watching the island in the distance grow larger. The weather was good. It'd be a warm climate on this new island for sure, Nami thought to herself, her neck twisting as she absent-mindedly watched Usopp jog off towards the lower rooms of the huge ship.

"Nami."

Her thoughts were interrupted by Luffy, who had somehow, silently, made his way over to Nami without her detection, and now he was right next to her. She jumped a bit, eyes snapping onto his, and she observed to herself once again that he'd grown taller. She kept noticing that. Her gaze fell onto his chest and the huge scar it displayed. She noticed that even more.

"What?" she asked, caught off-guard. She turned her attention back towards her mikan trees.

"How're your oranges doing? They survived well over the past two years, right?"

He was smiling, rocking back and forth from his heels to his toes.

She rubbed her eyes and nodded, falling back into her usual self. "Yes, they're doing great. Of course they are! They've been tended to with love!" She smiled and plucked one from a branch and handed it to him as proof of their continued perfection. "I think they enjoy their home on the Sunny. But what did you want, Luffy? You're not really here to check up on my oranges." She raised an eyebrow, her tone dropping from cheery to deadpan.

Luffy laughed and shook his head, eating the orange in a single bite - which really wasn't the best way to enjoy them, but Luffy's eating habits couldn't be helped. Revealing his true thoughts, he confessed, "I think we should stop at this island and all get some food together! And drinks! It looks nice, doesn't it?" He grabbed her cheeks and turned her head towards the island they were headed for. Immediately, she pulled away from his grasp and shoved him back, but she did give the island a good look. She could make out what seemed to be a town along the beach. There were boats in the harbor.

"Hold on," she said, stepping away to dip into her room to glance over her maps and the log pose. This New World log pose was pretty handy, she had to admit. And from the look of it, the island they were headed for seemed to be the most stable of the three. The needle vibrated just a bit, but as she looked out the window, she noted that the island did indeed seem to be pretty calm.

Upon exiting her room, she was swiftly greeted by Luffy, who hardly gave her the room or chance to breathe. "Well?" he asked, bouncing in place.

She nodded. "I think we can get some food and maybe do some shopping. The island _does_ seem to be pretty stable. I don't know how long the log pose will take to adjust anyway, but we can all get off the ship for a while at least."

With a victory cry, Luffy ran off to inform the crew that they would all be docking the ship at the harbor and visiting the island together. Nami watched him go, smiling. It was like telling a child he could have free reign in a candy store. And it was refreshing to be back in Luffy's excitable, cheerful aura. But, Nami mused, he wasn't so childlike anymore. There was a seriousness to Luffy that would appear from time to time now. It was an adjustment for everyone, but, Nami thought to herself, it probably gave the crew confidence in their captain's ability to get them through the New World alive.

"Nami-san!" A familiar call reached her ears and she turned to see Sanji erupt from the kitchen. "Nami-san, let's go shopping for new ingredients together and you can tell me what suits your delicate, refined palate this week! We can walk hand-in-hand and later, I'll prepare a perfect romantic dinner for you!"

Before Nami could even respond to Sanji's offer, she heard Zoro laugh from the upper deck. Sanji's transformation from a crumbly love-obsessed cook to an enraged fighter was almost instant. "You got something to say, moss-head?!"

Zoro jumped down to where Nami and Sanji stood, folding his arms over his broad chest, giving Sanji a long look with his single eye. Nami couldn't look away from the scar that spread over half his face, and she was glad that the swordsman and the cook were focused solely on each other for the time being.

"Not at all, love-cook. Please continue. Who wouldn't be entertained by your pathetic attempts at 'romance'?"

Sanji's mouth dropped open a bit and he narrowed his eye, locking it onto Zoro's. Suddenly, he laughed harshly at Zoro, his hands finding his pockets. "And this is coming from a guy who loves swords and lifting weights more than any female. You're well on your way to becoming the world's strongest Neanderthal at best! I pity any woman confused enough to take interest in you, shit-for-brains."

"Eh?" Zoro grinned something demonic at Sanji, who seemed unfazed by it. They were face to face now, and Nami stared while Zoro grabbed the front of Sanji's shirt, bringing him close. "Any Neanderthal could see you're destined to a lonely future of cooking for yourself."

Nami didn't stop the duel that ensued. Instead, she watched them brawl, unworried about any damage they might cause. After being at each other's throats for so long, they seemed to have grown more aware of their battle arenas and caused less havoc to their surroundings in their fights. It was a relief to Nami and her pocketbook. But she couldn't enjoy the contest of dominance by herself for long.

"They _have_ grown up a lot over the past couple years, haven't they, Miss Navigator?" Robin stepped up next to Nami to join her in forming an audience rather than mediating between the two fighters. Nami glanced at Robin and laughed lightly.

"I suppose they've grown physically, but they're the same stupid idiots they've always been." Nami flipped her long tangerine hair behind her shoulders, sighing in exasperation.

She could hear Robin chuckle softly beside her and reply, "Well that's good enough for now, wouldn't you say?" She was already walking away before Nami could piece together a meaning behind Robin's vague words. Robin was a queen at being cryptic.

It only took a few seconds for Sanji to notice Robin's appearance and abandon his battle with Zoro, rushing to her side to propose that she and Nami and he go into town together. Chopper and Brook made their entrance, laughing while Zoro rolled his eye and moved past them to sit and wait for the ship to dock.

Usopp was the next to make his way up to the main deck, apparently having finished whatever business he had below. He sat on the ground next to Nami, remaining silent, content to watch the crew interact in their own dysfunctional way. Nami could see he was smiling, knees folded up to his chest, his arms crossed and resting on them. Nami caught herself staring at his arms. She couldn't help it! He used to be so scrawny and cowardly, but now he was matured and capable. And his hair was so long. Nami was evidently still adjusting to how everyone had changed. She sat down beside him to wait for their captain to give his orders.

Just as Usopp looked like he was about to say something to Nami, Luffy leapt down next to him, his sandals slapping on the Adam wood of the boat. "Oi! Everybody!"

The crew quieted down to give Luffy a chance to say what he needed to say.

"Since we haven't been reunited for very long, I think we should all go out together and party it up tonight! We have some extra spending money, right, Nami?" Luffy turned his grin towards Nami, who grudgingly confirmed that yes, they could afford to spend some dough. "Right! So let's spend tonight celebrating that we all made it back alive! And also that we got way stronger! And we look way cooler! And we're finally in the New World!"

Zoro couldn't help but laugh at Luffy's attempt at a speech. He raised his fist. "To the Straw Hats!"

The whole crew raised their own fists in return, shouting together, "To the Straw Hats!" Even Franky's voice could be heard shouting it from the steering wheel behind them. They smiled and laughed together, everyone soaking up the feeling of being together, alive and safe, and cherishing it. After two years of being separated with only a coded message in the newspaper instructing them on how to find each other again, it really was a miracle that they had all made it back together. And they had successfully arrived in the New World. It felt like their dreams were finally, truly beginning. Nami couldn't help but grin madly along with everyone else. This was her family, and she was glad to have them back.

As the boat was docked and everyone stepped onto the island, a small man ran up to them, waving as he went.

"Straw Hats!" He called, huffing by the time he reached them. He smiled cheerfully and bowed. "Welcome, Straw Hat Pirates, to Bulb Island! We saw your ship from the distance, and we are very excited to host such famous pirates!" The little man, who was a solid foot shorter than Luffy, shuffled over to the captain, grabbing his hand and shaking it wildly. "We are honored! Please, Straw Hat Luffy, let us know what we can do to accommodate you and your crew on our humble jungle island!"

Luffy had a grin plastered over his face and turned to his crew. "See, guys? Wasn't it a great idea to stop here? The people are so nice already and we've only been here for like thirty seconds!"

The little old man introduced himself as Ronolo, head of public relations on Bulb Island. Upon mentioning that Bulb was a jungle island, Nami really began to notice just how lush the place was. There were huge plants growing everywhere starting a few feet from the beach. Trees and shrubs and bushes and wild flowers and vines and roots almost suffocated the land. Ronolo began leading them towards the main street of the town, listing off interesting facts about the island. Nami only paid half attention to what he was saying - apparently they were following this small man now. "Trading port town… Known for several rare plants… Main exports…"

With the entire crew walking down the street together, they seemed to gather a lot of attention. Shop owners and locals waved and encouraged them to visit their shops and restaurants. Nami was particularly distracted by a boutique that offered exotic-looking dresses. All around them, the buildings were decorated in rows of blooming flowers and cascading ferns.

"… quite happy… great weather… provided for by Boss Rina!"

Nami stopped Ronolo from speaking any further. "Boss Rina?" she asked, her interest piqued by the thought of a woman being in charge of such a prosperous town.

"Yes! Boss Rina, the leader of this town! She helped create this place, and with her support, this town has grown and transformed into a respectable community with a stable economy! Everyone here loves and respects her very much. She's very kind."

"Oi, old man!" Luffy interrupted, stepping between him and Nami. "I wanna meet this Rina. Is she strong?"

Sanji forced his way in-between the two of them. "Is she beautiful?!" he cried, obviously already creating a mental image for himself.

"Oh, yes, she's very pretty. And quite formidable in strength and wisdom! You'll know her as soon as you see her!" Ronolo exclaimed, waving his arms.

"So we'll meet her?" Luffy pushed Sanji aside, eager to meet this mystery strong-woman. Nami found herself edging away from the conversation, her attention falling back on the boutique she spotted a minute ago. Ronolo started to explain to Luffy and Sanji that he would invite her to the town that night so that they might have the chance to meet her - after all, Rina was very kind and always enjoyed meeting newcomers to the island.

As the old man went on about Boss Rina, Nami noticed Robin and Chopper glancing at a bookstore down the street. In fact, other than Luffy and Sanji, the crew didn't seem to care about what their tour guide had to say very much at all. "Excuse me, old man!" Nami butted in. "I think we're all going to go do some shopping of our own! Let's all meet at this bar," she motioned towards the large pub they had stopped in front of that seemed to rent rooms above it, "after we're done in a few hours. That sound alright to everyone?"

The general consensus seemed to agree with Nami's idea. The old man Ronolo smiled and laughed. "I think that's a splendid idea, young Miss Nami! This pub has exceptional food and drink and entertainment! It's very popular with the locals! And you can all stay in the rooms upstairs! I will speak with the pub owner - I'm sure he'd be happy to accommodate you for a very fair price!"

The crew was pleased. Luffy and Zoro had noticed a store full of weapons and desperately wanted to view its selection - Nami made sure Book went with them to keep them from getting lost. Brook seemed quite happy at the notion, mentioning that he'd like to see if they had any Shikomizue in stock.

Chopper and Robin left for the bookstore while Franky and Usopp went in another direction. Nami called Sanji to her side, who fell all over himself in rushing towards her. "Let's go shopping, eh, Sanji-kun? I'll even let you carry my bags for me," she said in a low voice, hooking her arm around his. His elation was nearly outrageous.

x X x

In the mansion located at the top of the largest hill on the island, a young woman with lilac hair and green eyes smiled at the news of the Straw Hats' arrival as described to her by Ronolo.

"They sound like wonderful people, Ronolo. Of course I will greet them tonight! After all, what an honor to have such famous pirates here at Bulb! We must make sure they have a wonderful time. The longer they stay, the better! And you know how hard it can be to want to leave this island after you've spent a couple days relaxing here!"

x X x

**Author's Notes:**

Thank you so much for reading the first chapter of my fic! It starts a bit slow, but action is right around the corner. This is my first original submission to the One Piece fandom, and likewise, is also my first fanfic! So I just wanted to thank you for taking the time to read my crap and to assure you that chapter two will be out very soon!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

* * *

The sun had set by the time Robin and Chopper wandered into the bar - the meeting place Nami had established for them earlier. Doing a quick head-count, Robin noted that she and Chopper were the last group to arrive. It couldn't be helped that they were late when the bookstore turned out to be much larger than the storefront led one to believe.

The scene unfolding in front of her was a lot to take in at first. Sanji, Zoro, Luffy, and Nami all sat together at the bar with large drinks in front of them. Brook sat on the end of the row, feasting on food that must've been a local treat, because Robin certainly didn't recognize it. And Usopp and Franky were off against a wall, sitting with a group of patrons, getting along quite well with everyone it would seem. It might not have struck one as out of the ordinary, but Robin was rather apt at noticing small details. And there were several things happening that were worth noticing.

Going down the line, Robin could see that there was something to be said about almost everyone. For starters, the group at the bar seemed to be drunk at least. Sanji slouched in his seat, leaning on Nami as he matched her for another shot, cheers-ing her glass before downing the dark liquid. Nami didn't typically let Sanji into her personal bubble, and she certainly wouldn't allow him to learn on her in public unless she was feeling rather… relaxed, per say. Robin smiled. Good for Sanji. He did try.

Luffy… it was harder to tell with him, Robin mused. He was so wild anyway. Luffy's hand was on Zoro's shoulder, balancing himself while he kneeled on the wobbly barstool, waving his pint of what Robin assumed was alcohol, retelling one of their adventures much to the enjoyment of the bartenders. It was rather common to see their captain capturing the attention of those around him, charming them with his warm personality. That was always a nice quality of Luffy's - he was good at making one immediately feel like they were his friend, and that he trusted them. The interesting thing about Luffy's behavior, though, wasn't actually anything Luffy was doing - it was Zoro. Robin could see, even from near the entrance of the bar, that Zoro was very tense. He was almost a bit red in the face, but he kept his composure well, tossing his head back to gulp down the remainder of the contents in his pint mug. He slammed it onto the bar, demanding another, which Luffy quickly and very loudly endorsed and decided, after hurriedly chugging the rest of his own mug, that he would need a refill as well.

Zoro's behavior was interesting. Robin contemplated it while she watched Chopper plop himself down next to Brook. It looked like the skeleton described his meal to Chopper, who ordered food for himself after hearing Brook's review. The barmaid obviously had something nice to say to Chopper, because he immediately began wiggling and shaking his head, giggling and shoo-ing the girl away. Before Robin could make an assessment for Brook, she was roused from her thoughts with a very loud, "Oi!"

She turned to the source. Usopp and Franky were waving at her.

"Robin, come over here and see this!" Usopp was yelling at her. Franky shoved him to the side to make room for her to sit. Usopp and Franky were seated off by the side wall, draped over a long, extremely large couch. They were surrounded by people sitting on chairs and cushions on the floor, and placed in the center of the sloppily-formed circle was something that seemed to be a device for smoking. It had a wooden mouth piece at the end of a long hose that connected to a center platform, which housed a covered bowl with a burning black cake-like thing on top and a chamber underneath. Robin concluded that to use the device, one placed whatever flammable contents they desired into the bowl and used the hose to take drags of the smoke that gathered in the chamber below as it burned from above. Basic enough. She'd seen contraptions like this on Arabasta. But something was different.

"Yeah, Nico Robin, get over here!" Franky held out his giant hand, gesturing for her to sit next to him on the tan couch he and Usopp had claimed. She smiled and sat between the two of them, pushing her hair back. It was lucky that the couch was so big - Franky's shoulders took up a sizable portion of it.

"What have you two been doing while Chopper and I were out?" She asked as she looked around at the other end of the bar where the rest of the crew had gathered. "I didn't realize we were so late to the rendezvous. Everyone seems to have settled in quite well."

"No worries! We've been having a super time! The locals've been sharing a few of their customs with us and Usopp and I have taken a liking to this one in particular." A stranger handed Franky the mouthpiece of the device, which he held up on display. He smiled, lowering his sunglasses to connect eyes with Robin. "It makes you feel pretty damn super when you smoke it."

"Is it dangerous at all?" Robin asked, taking the mouthpiece from Franky as she sat next to him, turning it over in her hands to inspect it.

Usopp shook his head and started rubbing his eyes. "No. Well. No? Probably not. The locals say there's no harm in it outside of, um. You know. Smoke. I mean, smoke isn't very good for your lungs anyway, but other than that, no. Probably."

"Who cares if it's dangerous!" Franky interjected loudly, stealing the mouthpiece of the thing away from her to take a long drag from it, placing it back in her lap as he blew out a giant cloud that almost engulfed half the bar before dissipating.

"Danger is great!" Luffy suddenly shouted from across the pub, raising his mug.

Robin smiled, leaning back into the couch. This was very interesting indeed. "How long have you and Franky been here, Usopp?" she asked.

Usopp stopped rubbing his eyes and looked around. "Well, I don't have a clock, and I don't see one anywhere, but I think we haven't been here for too long. I mean," he grinned at her, "there's still plenty of party left in the Straw Hats, if that's what you're talking about."

The people around them whooped and hollered, and Robin noticed then that there were a few very pretty girls in this group. Usopp and Franky appeared to be popular and she couldn't help but chuckle. Everyone seemed to be having quite a good time, and there was no reason why she shouldn't join in. She put the mouthpiece to her lips and inhaled the smoke of whatever was in the bowl in front of her, cheers filling the room at her participation. She exhaled a large plume and starting laughing again. She _was_ a pirate, after all.

x X x

Sanji was having the most wonderful time. Everyone had started off strong that night. As soon as most of the group was together, the locals all started buying them drinks and sharing stories. Everyone here was just so nice, Sanji thought to himself as he dug in a pocket for his cigarettes. Hm. None in that pocket. Everyone was so damn kind and the ladies were very pretty indeed - although, not quite as beautiful as Nami-swan and Robin-chwan, but they were admirable in their own right.

Sanji and Nami were on their sixth shot. Sanji's cheeks were flushed, and his balance was poor, but other than that, he felt great. And Nami-swan was being surprisingly nice to him. She was actually conversing with him extensively! This was a treat for him. He continued to buy the both of them shots, insisting that she not spend a single beri.

"Sanji-kun, tell me about what happened to you over the two years," she whined, scooting her stool closer to his. The bartender had told them these shots weren't too terribly strong, and they were a favorite of the regular patrons there, so Sanji had stuck with those so far. They were a good start. And Nami, who was so great at keeping her shit together, was acting very friendly in spite of herself.

"Nami-swan," he drawled, finally locating a cigarette and placing it between his lips. He leaned heavily on his elbows as he lit it. He was feeling rather brazen after the conversation they'd been having thus far. But he hesitated. "… Nami-swan, please accept my apologies in saying this, but there is literally _nothing_ you can do that will make me reveal the hell I suffered while I was away from you." He blew a smoke-ring and spun on his stool to face her. "You are the most beautiful creature I've ever laid eyes on, Nami-swan, but you cannot tempt me here! Take from me anything else!" He gestured wildly. "But I shall never tell you!"

Nami couldn't hold in her laughter over his theatrics or fault Sanji for refusing to tell her what happened. It was funny enough that there really was something that she couldn't trick Sanji into doing. It felt good, honestly. It was like he'd grown up. And in a dark, unspoken part of Nami's mind, she knew not to press the matter, if it was important enough that even when he was drunk, Sanji wouldn't tell her. Maybe it was best left alone. There were memories Nami had that she wouldn't ever touch. They were all but forgotten, and Nami aimed to keep them that way.

"There _is_ something I wanted to ask you, my dearest Nami-swan. And I wanted to ask just you," Sanji spoke, growing serious. He glanced over her shoulder to make sure Luffy and especially Zoro weren't paying attention. Nami followed his gaze and looked back at him, growing quiet herself over his sudden change. She nodded. He placed his hands on her arms and leaned forward so that their faces were a few inches away. "Please don't lie to me." She shook her head. No, she wouldn't lie to him now. "And…" Sanji continued, "Please don't speak a word of this to the others."

"Sanji," she said, using his name without any additional titles, "you have my word." There was silence between them as Sanji sucked hard on his cigarette, turning his head to exhale, but he kept his eyes on hers. She could see the cracks in his dry lips. Her breath hitched in her throat.

"What do you think of my part?"

She faltered. "Er - what?"

"My part. My hair. Do you think it looks stupid parted on this side? With my other eye covered now?" He reached up to adjust his hair, mussing it. "It was a really big decision to change it."

Realization dawned on Nami's face. She closed her eyes and sat back. Sanji waited, anxiety growing over his face.

"Sanji-kun… you are such a fucking moron," she said finally, starting to shake with laughter. And then it erupted, and she was holding her sides, cracking up at such a ridiculous notion. He'd been so serious! She ordered two shots then, ignoring Sanji's immediate protests, shaking him off her, all the while openly cackling. Luffy and Zoro turned their attention to her, wanting to know what was so funny, but a pleading look from Sanji kept her mouth shut. She _had_ promised him she wouldn't say a word!

"Here, Sanji-kun," she said amidst chortles and giggles, "take this shot and shut up about it for the rest of your life. You look dashing!"

Luffy and Zoro immediately started laughing with her, despite not really knowing what the exchange was about, but they'd heard Nami's compliment. And Sanji's entire face was red now, and he took his shot in silence, glaring at the lot of them.

"Oi, shit-cook! Maybe I was wrong before about you dying a lonely old geezer!" Zoro shouted over Luffy. Sanji's reaction could be surmised as a series of huffing and puffing and stuttering. He opened his mouth to speak, but he was unable to come up with a decent retort - he was interrupted by the arrival of someone new. The patrons of the bar had suddenly grown very excited over someone that had just entered the establishment. He craned his neck to see.

"Boss Rina! How wonderful of you to join us tonight!"

"Rina, you look incredible as always!"

"Come sit and smoke this with us, Rina!"

"Oi, who the fuck is this Ri-OW!"

Sanji could hear people shouting across the bar - the last line sounded much like Franky's voice. His voice did carry rather well. As people made way for whoever was approaching, he was able to catch his first sight of her, and he was out of his barstool in half a second.

"My God, I feel as if I've been lied to my entire life!" he proclaimed, rushing to her side. "I thought I'd seen the greatest treasures the world had to offer, but I was clearly wrong!" He took her hand and knelt in front of her, bowing his head. "My lady," he said, wobbling on his bent knee with questionable balance, "please forgive my forwardness, but frankly, I'm alarmed by your stunning form. Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Sanji, a humble cook and servant to your wishes for as long as you'll have me."

The woman in question raised her eyebrows at him, and the bar grew quieter in anticipation of her response - nobody was ever quite so ridiculous in Rina's presence. Her appearance was indeed enticing, but being the leader of the entire island, she was usually treated with a bit more… formality in introductions.

"Sanji? Oh my, the honor is mine!" she laughed, shoving him on the shoulder a little. "Stand up! Don't be so ridiculous! My name is Rina and I like to think I help run things on this island."

Sanji jumped to his feet, extending his arm towards the crew, who had remained seated on their stools. Nami was rolling her eyes, Zoro was glaring, and Luffy was grinning madly with two mugs in his hands. Sanji wondered only for a moment where Luffy got the other drink until he noticed that the drink he'd left sitting next to Nami was gone. He cleared his throat and ushered Rina over to them, shouting, "Nobody told me a goddess was in charge here!" Rina waved her hand and chuckled.

"This must be the rest of the Straw Hat Crew! I'd wondered who you were at first, Sanji - you look nothing like your wanted poster!" Rina covered her mouth to hide her gentle laughter, walking with him to greet his crew mates. At mention of Sanji's lack of resemblance to his wanted poster, he looked like he was nearly about to cry, thanking her profusely for noticing.

"Oi! Are you the leader of this island?" Luffy was the first to speak up, hopping down off his stool.

Rina nodded, still smiling. "I suppose so. And you're the leader of this pirate crew, am I right?" She bowed to the rest of the crew seated at the bar. Chopper and Brook sat on the end, their mouths hanging open slightly.

"You got it, lady! Are you here to party with us? We don't need any special treatment, but we like to drink and eat a lot." Luffy took a long series of gulps from one of his mugs, gasping for air when he was finished, looking quite satisfied with himself.

"Well…" Rina began, stepping closer, "I thought I'd stay a little while and get to know one of the most infamous new pirate groups to arrive in the New World."

"That's great!" Luffy cheered, pulling Rina up to the bar with the rest of them, scooting over to make room for her between him and Zoro. Subsequently, Luffy wound up nearly on top of Nami, and Sanji was horrified to find there was no room for him next to their new acquaintance. He took up his former post next to Nami, who punched him in the shoulder.

"Stop being so ridiculous, idiot!" she scolded. Rina laughed openly and ordered a round of shots for everyone. Nami caught herself smiling at Rina's easy-going character. Maybe this girl wasn't so awful. Perhaps, Nami thought to herself, she shouldn't be so quick to judge. Not every leader was corrupt. She felt guilty, remembering how Vivi had been a prime example of a just and good leader. And Iceburg and King Neptune. Surely there were more great leaders in the world.

"Hey, Nami," Luffy said to her, straightening out his stool while the bartender served up a round for them. Nami picked up the small glass that'd been placed in front of her with Luffy following suit.

"Hm?" she asked, smelling the shot. This one was different from what they'd been drinking all night - she could hear Rina over the general noise explaining to Zoro that the drink she'd ordered for them was her favorites, apologizing that it was rather strong. Zoro stopped glaring, seeming to embrace her style of drinking.

"This lady's hair reminds me of your sister's. Don't you think?"

Nami looked past Luffy at Rina. She was struck for a moment at Luffy's insight. He was right. Her hair was almost the same shade as Nojiko's. And somehow, Luffy had noticed before her.

"Wow. You're right."

Luffy grinned and clinked his shot glass against hers. "To new friends!"

Nami smiled a little. "To new friends." She drank the shot in a single gulp. Her eyes widened in surprise. "Shit, Rina. This _is_ good."

Rina reached around Luffy to clap Nami on the shoulder. "It's my own concoction!"

Nami couldn't help it. She liked Rina already.

x X x

Robin felt very, very good. And heavy.

She had gotten extremely comfortable on the couch between Franky and Usopp. Well, the three of them looked to all be quite comfortable. Franky had sprawled across half the thing with his legs planted on Robin's lap. Maybe that's why she felt so heavy. Maybe it was actually Franky's legs that were heavy. But they were warm, so she considered it to be a fair trade-off. At the other end of the couch was Usopp, who was actually halfway seated in the lap of a cute little blonde girl with cascading hair. She was weaving his curls into tiny, tight braids.

"Robin," he said, coughing a little. Smoke leaked from his mouth as he spoke. "Alright. What'll you give me…" he started, fishing in the huge pockets of his overalls, producing his slingshot. Twisting, he turned to face the girl whose lap he was puddled into. She had several large glass beads braided into her hair, and he took a beaded lock of her gold tresses and held it in front of her eyes. "Can I have this?"

She grinned and nodded. "Yeah! Want me to braid it into your hair? I have a ton of them. My friend makes them - I can have him make one specially for you!"

He shook his head. "No, just…" he muttered, freeing the bead from her hair. "Er, you can braid the next one into my hair." Palming the blue glass sphere, he showed it to Robin. "Alright. What'll you give me if I can shoot Luffy's shot glass out of his hand?" He nodded over to their captain, who was spinning on his stool. Luffy and Nami sat facing away from the bar, talking to Chopper and Brook, who'd made their way over and now had large drinks of their own. A girl with lilac hair was currently between Sanji and Zoro, and the three of them seemed to be involved in some sort of drinking contest. Robin and Usopp somehow hadn't noticed Rina's loud entrance earlier, and Franky had been effectively distracted shortly after she came in. Robin didn't think Sanji even noticed her own arrival, or he probably would've been over on the couch with them, smoking this wonderful mystery drug. She considered calling him over. He was a big fan of smoking and all.

Franky, who'd been listening in, quickly burst into loud laughter, successfully recapturing Robin's attention back to the couch and the challenge at hand. "I'll give you a hundred berries, Longnose-bro!" he declared.

"Only a hundred? That's an incredible shot!" Robin spoke up, drumming her fingertips on Franky's shins. She didn't know much about sniping, but with the way Luffy was wobbling and spinning about, it seemed like it'd be a challenging shot.

"Hey! That's twice our doctor's bounty! How dare you insult him like that!" Franky retorted, and the three of them shared a fit of giggles. Poor Chopper. His bounty was pretty unfair.

Robin shook her head and leaned over to Usopp, her body feeling rather incredible as she moved. Sluggishly, she pushed Franky's legs off her lap as she tried to adjust herself, her head slowly falling, coming to rest on Usopp's thigh. He looked down his nose at her. She forgot, just for a very quick moment, what they were talking about, or what they were even doing.

"Um. What do you want from me?" she asked as Franky handed her the wooden mouthpiece. She twirled it around her fingers. Whatever they were smoking apparently burned for quite some time, and it was unlike any drug she'd ever tried in her past. She felt so relaxed, and so damn comfortable, and like she was perfectly content with anything that might possibly happen. She felt complete, surrounded by her friends. Her family. This was all she ever needed. And Usopp and Franky were so perfect.

"What do I want from you?" Usopp repeated, glancing over at Franky. The two shared a look and started snorting and chortling together, and Robin rubbed her face both because it felt lovely, and because she realized what she'd just said to their sharpshooter, and she knew why he and Franky were laughing together now.

"Wow, girl, your nose is, like, basically perfect," the blonde girl behind Usopp chimed in, reaching down to poke the tip of it. Robin grinned up at her. But before she could get too distracted by the compliments of a stranger, Usopp set the slingshot and the bead down on the armrest next to him and took her cheeks in his hands, gently turning her face so that she was looking up at him again.

"Robin, there are a number of things you could give me that I'd be happy to have," he said, and she watched the Adam's apple bob in his throat as he swallowed. He went on, "But I'd settle for your respect and admiration."

Franky couldn't help but reach over to jostle Usopp with his giant hand. "Oh yeah! Lookit Longnose being fucking smooth over here!"

Robin smirked at the sharpshooter and turned her head to look back at Luffy and the group, who seemed to be preparing for yet another round of shots at the insistence of the girl who'd wound up between Zoro and Sanji.

"Alright, Longnose-kun. If you hit Luffy's shot glass, I'll regard you as the most skilled sniper I've ever seen in all my travels."

Usopp matched her grin. He reached over to the armrest and grabbed his slingshot, loading it with the single glass bead the blonde had provided him. He pulled back the sling of his weapon and closed one eye. His arms wavered a bit. The girl behind him who'd so kindly noticed the perfection in Robin's nose rested her chin on Usopp's shoulder, watching with great interest. Robin twisted her neck to watch their captain, and Franky sat up straight to get a good view. Usopp stuck out his tongue and bit it, wrinkling his nose, concentrating on trying to keep his arms still. And then he released and took the shot.

Just as Luffy went to gulp down what seemed like his millionth shot that night, the glass between his fingers exploded.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Thank you once again for taking the time to read my fic! I hope you're enjoying it so far! And I also hope you'll forgive me for any mistakes I didn't catch and any OOC-ness of the crew. I did my best to retain their characters even in inebriation! But like I said, this is my first attempt at writing One Piece stuff. Anyway, I appreciate any reviews and take all suggestions to heart - I'm not going to pretend like I'm an expert at all this! I'll try very hard to have the next chapter out soon - and I promise to do my best to give all the members of the crew considerable attention next chapter. (I know Zoro and Chopper and Brook haven't gotten much love yet BUT THEY WILL OK? OK. WOOT.)

(ALSO WOW I'M SORRY IF I TOTALLY SUCKED IT UP AT DESCRIBING WHAT IS BASICALLY A HOOKAH? YEAH I'M SORRY. IT'S PRETTY MUCH A HOOKAH THAT ROBIN AND FRANKY AND USOPP ARE GETTING FUCKED UP WITH. I. I'M SORRY I'LL STOP SCREAMING NOW)


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

* * *

Luffy's face was dripping wet. Nami had yelped a bit in surprise, not knowing exactly what'd happened until she heard the shrieking laughter from across the pub and looked over to see Franky, Robin, and Usopp crumbling into themselves, gasping for air.

Sanji turned his head at all the commotion, looking first to Nami by default. He followed her eyes and spotted the three laughing cretins on the couch. It took a few seconds for his brain to catch up with what he was seeing, as he had managed to get very, very drunk by that point. And he sputtered. Robin had arrived at some point without him noticing! Which was stupid, because logic should've told him, upon seeing Chopper sit at the end of the line at the bar, that the doctor's shopping partner had also made it back. And what was more, Robin was laying across the couch with her head on _Usopp's thigh_.

"What!" he yelled, which was all he could come up with for the moment. Taking immediate action, he went to rush over to the three on the couch, tripping over his own bar stool in the process. Once he was steady on his feet again, he practically leapt over to them. Robin and Franky and Usopp all looked up at him with stupid grins on their faces, and Robin sat up, making room for him to squeeze in between her and Usopp. Sanji did not hesitate in taking the spot.

Nami watched the scene unfold, already giggling again.

"What just happened?" Luffy asked Nami, still holding a jagged piece of glass.

She looked from the broken shot glass to the group that was smashed together on the couch and back to Luffy again. "Honestly," she said, gingerly taking what was left of Luffy's shot from his hand and ordering him a new one, "I'm not sure, but I think those three had something to do with it." She handed him the new shot, which he wasted no time in drinking. "But one thing is certain," she said, standing side-by-side with her captain. "None of them are sober. Look at Robin!"

Luffy was already looking at Robin. Sanji had both his arms around her, and she was laughing heartily, her arm around Sanji's waist while Franky took a long drag off a hose and passed it over Robin and Sanji's head to Usopp, who was still adjusting to Sanji's sprawling legs.

"What're they doing?" Luffy wondered, turning to put his empty glass back on the bar.

"They're smoking a special plant," Rina supplied, stepping up next to them. "We call it Ambrosia here. It has a lot of nicknames."

"They're doing drugs!" Chopper cried, looking worried. Brook started laughing quite loudly next to him. Chopper looked ready to rush over there to stop everyone from harming themselves further, but Rina put a hand on his furry shoulder.

"Be at ease, fluffy doctor. It's not really harmful. Certainly not as bad for you as cigarettes, for example," she said, and both she and Chopper watched Sanji stick a cigarette in his mouth, unable to find his lighter apparently.

"Is it addictive?" Chopper questioned. He folded his arms, eyeing Sanji.

"Nah. The plant is very rare worldwide, but on this island, it grows like a weed. It's a very finicky plant, but it thrives here on Bulb." Rina handed Chopper a large drink then, smiling at him. "You wanna go try it? It's really fun," she said, dancing off to meet everyone by the couch, waving for the rest of the crew to follow and join her.

Chopper, still looking like he wasn't very comfortable with the idea, finally shrugged. He knew he wouldn't have much luck in convincing the crew that they probably shouldn't be doing strange drugs with strangers on new islands. Brook clanked his mug against Chopper's.

"Don't worry, Chopper-san. If anything does happen to any of them, we have the best doctor in the New World to fix them right up!" he laughed, taking a long swig of his drink.

"Shut up! Th-that's not true! There are many more skilled doctors than me!" the reindeer retorted before he matched Brook's gulp.

Brook shook his head. "Chopper-san, I'm very, very old, and I've never seen anyone as skilled as you! It gives me goosebumps to watch you work! Ah! Though I have no skin! YO-HO-HO-HO-"

"So what do you think, eh, Captain?" Zoro asked, finally leaving his stool by the bar. Though he had another nearly-empty drink in his hand, he seemed rather solid on his feet, unlike the majority of the rest of the crew. Nami was always impressed by his outrageous tolerance.

"I think…" Luffy said, looking at Sanji and the others having so much fun. He grinned madly then. "I think we should all try this new mystery drug together! That's what pirates do, right?" And then he skipped over, perching on the armrest next to Usopp, leaning over him to watch. Rina sat on the floor in front of them, stealing the hose herself, taking several deep inhalations of the smoke, and Sanji looked hypnotized.

Nami and Zoro watched Chopper and Brook go to join everyone as well, and then it was just the two of them left at the bar. She shifted, broken glass crunching under her shoe.

"You scared of doing drugs?" he asked, finishing off his drink. He wiped his mouth, never looking over at the navigator.

"No! It's not like I've never been around them before!" she said hotly, swatting him on the shoulder.

"So…" he turned to her, a sinister smile on his face. "You wanna go over there with them and get high then?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, looking unafraid and confident. "Sure."

x X x

"Rina-san, you're the most beautiful, exciting mayor I've ever met!" Sanji praised. Rina snorted, shaking her head.

"I'm not really the mayor! This town runs itself more or less. It's very small and independent - nobody here really needs my help!" she informed him, though the locals who sat around them disagreed loudly.

"Well we've never met a mayor who offered us drugs," Luffy pointed out, sitting cross-legged on the armrest, looking like he was having a little trouble staying balanced.

"Now you see why we never wanna leave Bulb!" shouted the blonde girl behind Usopp, and several patrons cheered in agreement.

Nami and Zoro sat next to each other across from those on the couch. Chopper and Brook sat to their left, closer to Franky. All those on the floor had been offered large, brightly-colored cushions, which ended up being rather comfortable, to their surprise.

For the second time in two days, Nami caught herself staring at Usopp. He had commandeered the hose from Rina, and it was clenched between his teeth while he told some blonde girl he was practically sitting on what could only be a positively outlandish story, judging by the way he was gesturing with his hands. His eyes, though bloodshot, looked alive, and Nami watched him and the blonde maintaing eye contact for extended periods of time. All the while, he was puffing on the wooden mouthpiece, smoke billowing around his face. He was so at-ease, so casual. It was intimate. Nami felt like there was a hole forming in her chest. She looked away.

Usopp extended his arm towards Sanji, the mouthpiece in hand, offering it to the cook. Sanji took the thing and examined it.

"You should already know how to use this, right, Cook-bro? You're the only habitual smoker on the ship!" Franky teased, stretching back.

"Shut up! Of course I know what to do, cyborg. I was simply… admiring the woodwork."

In Sanji's defense, the wooden mouthpiece _was_ ornately carved and decorated. Rina had turned around, and she planted her chin on Sanji's knee. His half-lidded eyes fell on hers, and he was caught in her stare for a second. Then he noticed Zoro out of the corner of his eye, who looked like he was laughing him. The swordsman raised his eyebrows at Sanji in a silent challenge. And that was all it took. Finding Rina's emerald eyes again, Sanji took a long drag from the hose - an extremely large drag, at that, like his lungs were built specifically for smoking - and he exhaled the entire thing through his nose, sinking deep into the couch as he did so. Smoke wove its way around the entire group, and Nami could smell the foreign oder it emitted. To Sanji, all words were lost, save for one:

"Fuck."

Luffy stretched his arm past Usopp and stole the hose from Sanji, who didn't seem to need anymore for the time being. Everyone's attention was suddenly focused on their captain. The air almost felt tense. The Straw Hat crew had never seen their captain high.

Rina cupped her hands around her mouth, shouting brief instructions for properly inhaling smoke to Luffy over the noise of the crowd. He nodded, looking excited, and took a long rip from the device, quickly succumbing to a coughing fit shortly after. But he refused to let go of the mouthpiece of the thing, insisting he could do it correctly. And after a few tries, Luffy stopped choking and coughing. His grin spread across his entire face.

"I like it," he said simply, his eyes closing. For several minutes still, he wouldn't give it up, until suddenly, he stretched across the circle and offered it to Zoro, who took the mouthpiece in his hand without any hesitation.

"Try it, Zoro!" Luffy encouraged, slowly slinking off the couch's armrest.

Zoro didn't need to be told twice. He sucked on the hose for nearly as long as Luffy, but still, he didn't seem phased. He shrugged in response to it, handing it back over to Rina.

"It's alright," he said, standing up to get himself another drink. Rina laughed at him.

"What, you want something stronger?" she asked, and Sanji sat up a little, catching Zoro's eye. The cook grinned at the swordsman, raising a curled eyebrow at him now.

"What're you talking about, lady?" Zoro asked, folding his arms across his chest. She only smiled at him, climbing to her feet.

"I'll be right back," she promised, jumping past him and Nami.

Zoro shrugged again and went to the bar for his refill. Brook picked up the mouthpiece and began to use it, smoke billowing out from behind his teeth, and his nose, and his eye sockets. Chopper shrieked and begged Brook to stop. Instead of complying with the doctor's orders, Brook began pressuring Chopper into smoking it with him, much to the delight of the crew. Everyone joined Brook in peer-pressuring Chopper, and it wasn't long before they were all cheering as Chopper inhaled smoke for the first time in his life.

x X x

Robin leaned forward until she was actually on the ground in front of the couch she'd been on the entire night. After a brief pause, she stood up slowly, stretching as she went. She wobbled a little, and Franky leapt up next to her, small hands emerging from his larger ones, catching her shoulders and steadying her. She smiled up at him gratefully.

"Franky," she spoke, taking a step away from him. "Walk me to my room upstairs."

It wasn't a request - it sounded more like an order. He laughed, shaking his head as he stepped over people seated on cushions. "You _did_ party pretty hard tonight, Nico Robin!"

"It feels like it," she agreed, stumbling past Nami, who was grinning at her. The navigator was very much enjoying watching Robin lose her composure, being that it was such a rare sight to see. Though, before she could say anything to tease Robin, she was interrupted by Luffy crawling over to her on his hands and knees.

He said nothing, gave no explanation as he scooted so close that their shoulders touched. He smiled at her, not seeming to mind or notice that she looked rather confused.

Sanji sprawled himself across the couch, his eyes closed, although the fact that he was puffing heavily on a cigarette was proof that he was still awake. Chopper looked very much less worried now. Instead, he was laughing wildly with Brook as they exchanged jokes together. Even Zoro, having returned shortly after he left for the bar, was chuckling at a few of the lines they were giving each other. Brook was in tears. Somehow.

"Here you go, swordsman," chirped Rina as she came back from wherever she'd gone suddenly, stepping around the remaining patrons. Several people had cleared from the pub. In fact, the Straw Hats were some of the only ones remaining. She held up the object she'd gone to retrieve. In her hand was a giant pink mushroom. She wiggled her eyebrows at Zoro. "If the Ambrosia wasn't enough to get you feeling loose, maybe you'd like to try another one of Bulb's treasures?"

Zoro took the mushroom from her and examined it. "What's it do?"

"Well, normally, you get really fucked up. You hallucinate. But it's a load of fun. You'll be fine, tough guy! It's surely nothing for someone like you!"

And just like that, Zoro swallowed the whole thing in one giant bite. Chopper, who'd noticed a bit too late, screamed.

"Zoro! What're you thinking?! We don't know anything about that thing you just ate! Rina! Why would you give that to him?!"

"You seem pretty comfortable with the other drugs we've been doing tonight," he replied shortly. Chopper blushed, but he didn't refuse the hose as Brook held it out to him.

Rina only laughed, walking over to the couch where Sanji was taking up most of the room, although Usopp and his blonde friend didn't seem to mind at all. She lifted Sanji's head and took a seat, readjusting his position so that he was laying with his head on her lap much like Robin had been with Usopp earlier. The cook slowly opened his eyes, ashing his cigarette onto the wooden floor. She waved down at him. And this is how Nami knew Sanji was piss drunk and high as hell: He just smiled back up at her and closed his eyes again. And that was it. There was no dancing, no singing, no proclamations of undying love - he just smoked his cigarette with a complacent look on his face. Nami gaped at him.

"Nami," Luffy said, his head turned, speaking softly in her ear so the others wouldn't hear. She shivered, her skin erupting into goosebumps. "Why do you keep staring at Usopp? And Sanji?" he asked.

Her eyes widened and she looked over at him, her stomach tightening. This was so strange of Luffy. Then again, Nami remembered how long he'd been smoking that Amberia or whatever it was called. It seemed that this particular drug sat very well with the captain, because rather than bouncing around at lightning speed, he was relaxed, comfortable, and calm.

"Uh, what?" she stuttered.

"Don't act stupid. I know you've been watching Usopp, and Sanji, and Zoro, and everyone. Because I've been watching you." His speech was slow, almost slurred. His eyelids drooped.

He swayed a little, and he leaned forward until his forehead was touching Nami's, but he didn't say anything further. He just stared directly into her eyes, and he didn't blink. His weight was pressed against her, and if she moved, he would've tumbled over.

Nami gulped, her eyes twice as wide as his.

Around them, the entire crew except for Sanji had taken notice, and they all stared, having fallen completely silent. Sanji didn't notice much of anything at all, except that someone was playing with his hair.

"I…" Nami began, but she couldn't think of anything to say. Instead, she pushed him back roughly, her cheeks bright red. "Stop being such an idiot, you drunken buffoon!" she shouted. Luffy burst into howling laughter, and the rest of the crew followed suit. Nami looked at them all and realized they'd chalked it up to Luffy being weird and ridiculous as always - not to mention very high and drunk. They hadn't heard what he'd said to her.

Standing up abruptly, Nami announced that she had to use the ladies' room and walked off. Luffy watched her go.

x X x

Sanji had said something about needing to go to the restroom as well, and Rina offered to show him where it was located, although this confused Usopp at first, since the men's bathroom was in plain sight - it was the women's bathroom that was hard to find, as it was down the hall where the stairs leading up to the rooms they'd rented out were located. But then Rina caught Usopp's eye, and she winked at him and led Sanji, who was stumbling with his head down, out the door of the pub. Usopp smiled.

"He's our cook," he informed the blonde girl behind him, easing out of her lap to make use of the rest of the couch that'd been made available. "I'm glad for him. He's probably never been fucked."

And then Zoro burst out into laughter across from them, holding his sides. He laughed so hard that he looked like he was in pain. Usopp and the girl raised their eyebrows at him. He looked up and saw the expression on their faces.

"I'm sorry," he said, wiping his eyes. "That… Just. Usopp, you never talk like that. And." He seemed to be having trouble stringing a sentence together, but Usopp hardly noticed. "And you're… You've got this chick all over you. And you've been doing these drugs all night, and it's so _fucking_ hilarious, Usopp!" He dissolved into laughter again, and Usopp chuckled a bit with him, avoiding the blonde girl's eyes. Zoro continued, "But you're right about the shit-cook."

"Are you not usually very popular with girls, Usopp?" the blonde asked him, and he looked over at her.

"I-"

"Pff!" Zoro cut him off. "This dork used to be such a fucking scrawny coward. But now look at him! It's mind-blowing! He's buff and he's got all this confidence! I mean, shit, Usopp, don't get me wrong - you're a legitimately talented sniper, and you always have been - but God damn, you really figured your shit out." The swordsman stood up, stretching with a long groan.

Usopp was smiling. And his smile was genuine. Despite the delivery, Zoro's words had meant a lot to Usopp. If he were a couple years younger, he might've even teared up a bit. But that was the difference of who he was then, and who he was now.

"Anyway," Zoro said, clearing his throat. "I'm… gonna go do some things." And with a final long drink of his beer, he left the bar through the same door Sanji and Rina had left earlier. Just like that.

Usopp watched him go, and then he looked over at Brook and Chopper, who'd both fallen asleep cuddled up together among the bright cushions on the floor. Luffy had gone off in the direction Nami had left a few minutes after she'd bolted for the restroom. Neither had returned. He looked at the blonde girl he'd been sitting with all night.

"Hey-" he began, but he was cut off.

The girl had gotten closer to him, and now she was practically crawling up his chest. There was hardly any time for a transition. She craned her neck forward, both her hands on his shoulders, pulling herself closer to him. And then her lips were on his, and she was kissing him. And then, by what Usopp could only define as instinct, he was kissing her back. She didn't separate herself from him for several moments, and when she did, he put his hands on her shoulders, looking concerned.

"I'm not…" he said, searching for words.

She let her hand trail down his bare chest. "I really like your weird overall things," she purred, her hand coming to rest between his legs. Her fingers curled around him.

Usopp sucked in a long breath, his chest rising and his voice catching in his throat.

She pulled on one of the suspenders of his overalls, letting it snap back against his chest.

He grabbed her then, pulling her back onto him, connecting their lips once more. And this time, he seemed sure of himself. He slid farther down into the couch until she was properly laying across him, and he bent his knees on either side of her, pushing upwards a bit with his hips.

"Oi!"

The two of them broke apart, and Usopp looked over her shoulder towards the bar where the voice had come from. The bartender waved his hand at them.

"There are rooms literally right upstairs. That you _already_ rented out." The stout man behind the bar shook his head, drying a glass with a rag.

x X x

"What're you doing in here? I thought you were just going to the bathroom," Luffy said, stumbling into the room Nami had retreated to, quickly closing the door behind him. Her eyes snapped open. She'd gone to hide there, her heart having felt like it was going to explode from her chest earlier, and she'd fallen back onto the bed with her eyes towards the ceiling. She hadn't moved since.

"Why'd you follow me!" she groaned, sitting up. She glared at Luffy, who was still standing next to the door.

"Duh," he replied, staggering forward to the bed, throwing himself down onto it right beside Nami. She glared down at him as he laid there on his back, smiling lazily at her. "You just ran away after I asked you a question," he explained, rubbing his arm. He snorted, "Like I was just gonna sit there while you ran away like a coward."

"I'm not a coward!" she snapped, narrowing her eyes, leaning over him. Her hair fell down around her shoulders, just inches above his face.

"Yeah, well, you ran away, and isn't that what cowards do?"

She sat back, rubbing her eyes. "What's wrong with you?" she asked.

"What?"

"You never noticed little details and things before, Luffy," Nami stood and paced the room. Luffy watched her, staying flat on his back on the bed. "You've always been totally oblivious to everything going on around you!"

"Have I?"

"_Yes!_" she screeched, picking up a pillow and throwing it at him. It stayed where it landed over his face. He made no attempt at removing it. "And now you think you've noticed me staring at the rest of the crew?" she pressed, crawling over the bed to sit next to him again. "You're high and you're drunk and you're talking out of your ass."

Luffy took the pillow off his face and put it under his own head. "I'm not making it up and you know it."

Nami clenched her jaw shut, growing angry with him and the way he was just so casually throwing these accusations at her. "Even if I _was_ staring at everyone else…" she began slowly, pulling her knees to her chest, "… what's it to you?"

"I'm jealous."

Nami sputtered and choked on nothing. "What?!"

Luffy rolled onto his side to look at her, but he couldn't, really. He shut his eyes tight, fighting them from growing cross-eyed. The room was spinning for him, but his mind was focused. He'd been watching Nami silently observing the crew for the past week. He'd seen where her eyes lingered, and it'd made his stomach twist and turn. And it wasn't that he wanted Nami all to himself. Hell, Luffy thought to himself, it wasn't like she was some chest full of treasure. "I just…" he started, trying to find the right words. "I just don't want anyone taking you away from me. I know… that you don't belong to me. And that's fine, I don't want to own you. But I don't want you to leave me."

Nami's face softened and she looked over at her captain, who seemed to be fighting with himself at the moment. Luffy stood up then, and he stumbled to the bathroom attached to their room, slamming the door shut behind him.

x X x

It was an hour later when Luffy emerged. Nami had turned off all the lights and was curled up in bed, her eyes closed, pretending to sleep. But she couldn't. She couldn't stop replaying the conversation she'd just had with her drunken captain.

He collapsed onto his back next to her, and Nami asserted that he was sleeping next to her tonight, apparently. Minutes passed without a sound. And then he broke the silence.

"Oi, Nami."

She didn't respond.

"Lay your head on my chest."

Nami stopped breathing. After a few seconds, without a word, she rolled over and let her head come to rest in the space between his shoulder and his chest, tucked into his outstretched arm. He folded it around her, his hand coming to rest on her shoulder. And then Nami breathed again, letting out a long, slow exhale. She threw her arm across him, doing her best to pay no attention to how different his scarred skin felt against hers, or the way his heart was beating. It was slow and steady.

Luffy smiled into the dark.

x X x

"Sanji!"

Sanji opened his eyes again, his world reeling. He was outside, he knew that much. And he was on the ground. And the mayor or whatever of wherever the fuck they were - Bulb Island? Awful name - the mayor was on top of him, grinding herself into him.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Thanks again for taking the time to read my fic! Reviews are greatly craved and appreciated! The next chapter will be out soon :D This story still has a long way to go, so I hope you're enjoying it thus far and that you'll stick around!


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

o O o

**WARNING** : there's gonna be sex.

o O o

* * *

When Robin awoke in the morning, she didn't move. She only opened her eyes and momentarily panicked, not recognizing her surroundings. The room was strange. She sat up and immediately regretted it as her head was flooded with an intense, throbbing pain. Clutching her forehead, she started to drag herself out of bed, only to freeze, her breath leaving her. Franky was on the floor next to the bed with a pillow over his face, snoring softly. And he was stark naked.

In one swift motion, Robin threw herself backwards onto the mattress and covered herself with the heavy blanket she'd slept under the night before. She put her hands over her face and grimaced as the memories from the previous night trickled back to her.

Franky had walked her to one of the rooms they'd rented out, just as she'd commanded.

"You sleep well then, Robin," he said with an uncharacteristically soft smile.

"I'm not going to sleep."

Franky pursed his eyebrows together and found himself unable to look away. She was staring up at him, a completely serious expression on her face. Without a word, she took one of his giant metal fingers in both her hands and pulled him into the room with her, shutting the door behind them. She locked it and turned around to smile lightly at him, leaning back against the door frame.

"So what're you going to do?" she asked, her arms limp at her sides.

Franky found that he was unable to respond, his mouth hanging open stupidly.

"Aren't you a self-proclaimed pervert?" she pressed, taking a step towards him. She hooked her thumbs into the rim of his speedo.

"You're pretty fucked up right now, Robin," he said, his tone serious, though he didn't move from where he stood. "I'm not going to take advanta-"

She tugged the fabric down to his thighs, exposing him completely.

"Really, Robin, you shouldn't -"

"Shouldn't_ w__hat_, Franky? Are you really going to pretend to be a gentleman now? We're both adults." She pulled the only article of clothing he'd been wearing aside from his red undershirt down to his ankles and stood straight again, her neck craning to look up at him, staring him down.

He narrowed his eyes at her, giant metal hands reaching for her waist. His smaller hands that he designated for more delicate situations emerged then and gripped her firmly, and he lifted her nearly two feet off the ground so that she was face level with him. "Girl, you've got a weird taste in men."

She didn't smile at him or his comment. Her eyes flicked up and down his mostly-mechanical body. And then, with her hands on his for leverage, she leaned forward in his steady grip and pressed her lips hard against his. He was kissing her back immediately, with urgency, and there was a subconscious thought in the back of Robin's head that made her think that maybe he'd wanted this for a long time, because it sure felt like it. He pulled her against himself, and she threw her arms around his thick neck, pressing her chest against his body with an arch in her back.

Robin pulled away from him then and nodded towards the bed. "Go lay down."

He placed her back on the floor as gently as he'd lifted her up, and he went to the edge of the bed and sat on it.

"Take off your shirt," she instructed, following him. He did as she said. And he sat there, stark naked, looking up at her, and for the first time in Robin's life, she saw Franky looking almost nervous.

"What're you so afraid of?" she asked, pressing against his chest with both hands so he'd lay down on his back like she'd told him to. He didn't answer her.

She climbed onto his chest and pressed her lips against his skin, starting at his neck and working her way down one of the long scars that ran the length of his abdomen. She snaked her body down his, sliding between his legs. She kissed against his thighs then, biting gently in certain places, and Franky pushed himself up onto his elbows so he could watch, like he was having a hard time coming to terms with what exactly what happening. She looked at him, their eyes locked on each other, and without breaking that contact, she gripped his tool in her hand and dragged her tongue along it, from the base to the top, and as his eyes widened, she opened her mouth and took nearly the entire length of it until she could feel him poking at the back of her throat.

"Damn."

Franky's head fell back and his eyes closed. Robin worked on him, her hands busy as well, feeling up and down his thighs and between them. The sound of him moaning was motivation to Robin's performance, and she was enthusiastic about her endeavor, craning her neck back to allow him to slide down her throat, and she swallowed around it. He nearly shouted. She didn't let up in the slightest, her tongue flicking back and forth.

"Robin," he breathed, sitting up, pushing her back.

"Too late to turn back now, cyborg."

He shook his head. "Like hell I'd stop now."

Franky stood and lifted her with a single giant hand wrapped around her midsection, her arms pinned at her sides, and she gasped, taken aback by the sheer power in his body, like she'd forgotten half of him was made of metal. He'd been gentle at first, but now he was much more insistent. He took a few steps and pressed her against a wall, and then his tongue was in her mouth, and his other hand - the smaller version of it, anyway - was reaching up her dress. His mechanical grip was rough, but she didn't care. She liked it.

Moaning into his mouth, Robin squirmed, pulling away briefly to mumble, "Don't stop," against his lips. He turned and almost threw her onto the bed. Climbing on top of her, giant hands on either side of her body, he was careful to keep the majority of his weight off her as he sucked on the skin of her neck. She pulled her dress up over her head and discarded it on the floor, and she reached down to push her undergarments down to her knees. Franky rose up into a kneeling position, staring down at her naked form, hesitating.

"What?" she asked, reaching up for him, though she was unable to budge the man. "_What_?" she asked again, furrowing her eyebrows.

"I don't want to hurt you," he confessed, looking from his own giant mostly-robotic body to her delicate, soft figure.

Several arms grew from the mattress, and some out of Franky's own body, and they grabbed onto his hair, and his neck, and his shoulders, effectively forcing him back down close to her.

"You couldn't if you wanted to," she whispered, and another arm sprouted from the bed and wrapped itself around his manhood, stroking it slowly.

He nodded, his head still in the death grip of several of her hands. "Understood."

The phantom hands and arms all vanished then, leaving just her. Franky wasted no time. He pushed himself inside of her, and she groaned with her back arching, toes curling, and Franky didn't need anymore convincing. There was no slow start between them. He thrust into her as she reached up, pulling on his blue hair, begging him not to stop, and to go faster, and harder, because she needed it. He slid a hand under her back and lifted her up, until he was holding her again with a single, huge mechanical hand, but he didn't stop. Robin twisted, kicking her underwear the rest of the way off her body and onto the floor, wrapping her legs around his waist. Her voice grew higher in pitch and she scratched at his skin with her nails until she was convulsing under him, crying out in her orgasm, and it didn't take long for Franky to follow suit.

There were no more sounds between the two of them, save for very heavy breathing. Franky placed her back on the bed, and she closed her eyes, panting, and smiled broadly. He sat beside her, sweaty, his eyes on the far wall.

"I'm suddenly very, very tired," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. He nodded then and stood to ready the bed for her. Robin found the gesture very endearing. "You can sleep here too, Franky," she'd told him, scooting to the side of the bed. He eyed the bed and chuckled a little.

"I think I'm a little too big for both of us to sleep there, Nico Robin," he explained, sitting on the floor. Robin was about to argue until she remembered how worried he'd been about hurting her earlier and decided to drop it. Instead, she threw a pillow at him.

"Goodnight then, Franky," she yawned, curling around her own pillow. He reached over and turned off the lights.

"Yeah. Goodnight."

And that was exactly what'd happened between her and Franky last night, and that was why he was naked on the floor now, still sleeping heavily. Robin groaned quietly to herself, peeking out from under the blanket, staring at the shipwright's naked body in the sunlight that poured in through the window.

x X x

Usopp stood in the hallway outside of the private rooms, stretching and twisting his back, trying to pop some of his sore joints. He was fairly sure he'd pulled a muscle. The straps to his overalls hung around his legs, still unclasped. He was about to head downstairs to see if anyone else was awake until he head a door open behind him. He turned and his mouth fell open as Franky and Robin exited the same room. The three crew mates froze, staring at each other. At the guilty looks on both their faces, Usopp desolved into laughter.

"Don't tell anyone," Robin said in a serious voice, glaring at him. He seemed unfazed by her threatening tone, walking over to them, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"How am I supposed to keep my mouth shut about this?!" he teased through his giggling, shaking his head. He clapped his hand on Franky's chest. "But really, Franky, I'm very impressed!" He grinned at Robin, who didn't seem to find it very funny at all. Franky laughed loudly.

"It wasn't me, Longnose-bro. It was all her doing."

"_Franky!_" she shouted, her hands clenched into fists, her cheeks bright pink. Usopp's laughter turned into a howl, and he nearly fell to his knees, clutching at his own chest, trying to breathe.

Just then, the three of them heard a door open behind Usopp, who turned towards the noise. A cute little blonde girl - Franky and Robin recognized her from last night - exited Usopp's room, yawning openly. Her hair was a mess, and she smiled at the sharpshooter.

"Maybe I'll see you around sometime, Usopp," she said cheerily, giving him a quick wave before padding off down the hall, her shoes in her hand.

As soon as she was around the corner and down the stairs, Franky lost it. Usopp spun around, his eyes wide, to see Robin grinning devilishly at him. She took a few steps forward into his personal bubble, and she reached her hand out to take a braided lock of his hair that had a glass bead woven into it.

"What was her name, Usopp?" she crooned.

He faltered and rubbed the back of his head, shuffling away from her. "Er…"

Robin and Franky both started laughing as his face turned red.

"Okay!" he shouted, fastening his suspender straps and pulling them over his shoulders, avoiding their eyes. "I won't tell anyone about you guys. I promise."

Robin seemed very pleased, and she patted him lightly on the shoulder as she passed him to walk downstairs. Franky and Usopp were left standing together in the hallway, watching her depart. Then they looked at each other.

"Was it as magical as you always dreamed it'd be?" Usopp asked Franky with a level voice. Usopp wasn't stupid. He spent a lot of time around Franky working on the ship and anything else that needed fixing or inventing. He saw the way Franky stopped what he was doing to watch Robin when she was near.

"I have no complaints," he answered.

x X x

Nami blinked awake in the harsh morning sun. Sleepily, she rolled over, only to press against a warm figure sprawled out beside her. She recognized the messy black mop of hair and gasped. It took her a second to remember what'd happened the night before. Then, as foggy memories returned to her, she threw back the blankets, waking Luffy with a start.

"Hey!" he shouted in protest. Still half asleep, he reached for the blankets to cover himself up completely, blocking out the light that filled the room from the window. Nami sighed in great relief. Both she and Luffy were fully clothed.

"Thank God."

Luffy suddenly threw back the blankets he'd just covered himself with and sat up quickly, looking around the room and back at Nami. "What the hell," he declared, rubbing his eyes.

"Do you remember any of last night?" she asked, fingers clenched around the sheets of the bed. He stared down into his lap and then up at her. He shook his head slowly, looking at her very seriously.

She rolled her eyes and slid back into a laying position and said nothing further.

"Nami," Luffy spoke softly, like he was afraid. "Did we have sex?"

She snorted. "No. We have our clothes on still, idiot."

"Did I kiss you?" he asked, and she looked over at him, her eyebrows raised.

"Did you mean to kiss me?"

Luffy didn't answer her question. He leaned over her so that he was directly above her, and she couldn't look away from his eyes. His voice was low, and he asked her again with importance behind his tone. "Did I kiss you?"

She closed her eyes and took a long breath. "No. No, you didn't. We didn't have sex, and you didn't kiss me."

He fell back, obviously relieved, which annoyed Nami for some reason. She watched him slide out of bed and look around for wherever he'd discarded his straw hat. And she couldn't look anywhere else. She'd never really watched Luffy wake up in the morning. By the time she usually saw him on the ship each day, he was wide awake and bouncing around. Now he was shuffling about, looking groggy and yawning. Something struck her.

"How do you even know what sex is, Luffy?"

He stopped searching the room and looked at his hands. "Why is that weird?" he asked her.

"It's weird because, for as long as I've known you, you haven't exactly acted very intimately with anyone. You don't act like Sanji. You don't show any interest in me or Robin in that way. You and Zoro both act so stoic about women that I couldn't even imagine you being with one." Luffy coughed a bit when Nami mentioned Zoro's name, though she took no notice of it. She sat up in the bed, her legs hanging off the side. She narrowed her eyes. "You've never been with a woman… have you?" She couldn't understand the sudden fluttering in her chest.

Luffy still didn't look at her. And he didn't answer. Instead, he went back to looking for his hat.

"_What?!_" she yelled, jumping to her feet. He walked into the bathroom and finally located his hat on the ground in there. She stood in the doorway, blocking him in. "You've had sex with a woman?!"

He shrugged at her. "Is it that crazy?"

"With _who_?" she demanded, her stomach dropping at a hundred miles an hour. She almost felt sick.

"Nobody you know," he muttered, pushing past her.

"How many people have you had sex with, exactly,_ Captain?_" she asked, biting out his title, her hands on her hips.

"Two."

Nami's mouth fell open and she took a step back. He looked back at her then, almost like he was challenging her. "Is that a problem for you,_ Navigator?_"

Snapping her mouth shut, she stalked up to him. They used to be nearly the same height, but he was a couple inches taller than her now. "Of course not!" she shouted, throwing her hands in the air. "But you were pretty clingy last night! If I'd known you were so involved with other people, I wouldn't have flattered you!"

He looked confused. "You said we didn't do anything."

"No, we didn't do anything, but you _did_ stumble into my bed and commanded me to cuddle with you," she barked, and he winced. "You were acting quite in love with me, Luffy," she said nastily, poking a single finger against his chest.

"So maybe I do love you."

She nearly fell over, and she shouted, frustrated with him. "What?!"

"Maybe I love you, Nami. And maybe I love Sanji, and Usopp, and Zoro, and all of them." Nami looked hopelessly at him. "So what do you want me to do?" he asked, his voice growing louder, and he stepped closer to her. Nami started to back away, his aura becoming nearly threatening, and she didn't like it.

"Luffy…"

"What? What do you want me to do? Are you in love with me?" He was almost yelling at her now. "Are you in love with me so much that you get angry over the fact that you can't be my first kiss? That I can't lose my virginity to you?"

"No!"

"I know, Nami! I know you're not! So why are you upset now?" She raised her arms to push him away, but he caught her wrists in his hands, keeping her from moving.

"You told me last night you were jealous. You said I watched everyone else and you were jealous." Her voice broke as the words spilled from her mouth.

His features softened then, and he dropped his grip on her. He sighed. "I didn't mean to tell you that."

"You acted like you loved me," she told him again, but her voice seemed sad now.

"Is that what you wanted?" he asked, his hands going to his pockets. Their eyes connected.

"I don't know."

And then Luffy put a single hand on her neck, his other hand still in the pocket of his shorts, and her entire body felt frozen. He leaned forward, eyes level with hers, and his lips were only a few inches away. She watched them as he spoke. "I don't know what I'm doing, alright?" he whispered. She nodded quickly.

And with that, he stood up straight again and turned. Picking up his straw hat, he left the room, placing it on his head as he went. Nami almost screamed.

x X x

When Nami made her way downstairs, she found the rest of the crew, minus Zoro and Sanji, sitting around the bar, looking very hungover. Luffy was behaving like his normal, spastic self. He was laughing with Chopper and Brook, and nearly everyone was clutching their heads in pain.

"The Ambrosia'll do that to ya," the daytime bartender told them, preparing the establishment for another day. He stopped to fill a giant mug for each of them. "Here," he said, passing one to each member of the crew. "Water cures it pretty quick."

Nami watched as everyone chugged the water that'd been given to them, and she sat next to Chopper at the bar. The bartender wasted no time in grabbing a mug for her as well. Without hesitation, she tilted her head back and gulped down as much water as she could before she started feeling dizzy. The bartender was right - water did help.

"Can we help you clean up at all?" Chopper asked the bartender, the giant mug taking up most of his lap space. "I feel like we made a mess last night."

The slender young man laughed. "Don't worry about it! This is my job, you know?" He went about tidying the place up, making his way over to the couch where they'd all wound up together, getting high. He lifted the cover from the bowl of the device they'd used to smoke from and removed the charred remains of something that looked like it was once a stubby carrot.

"Is that what we were smoking?" Brook asked, walking over to get a better look.

"Oh, yeah," the bartender said over his shoulder as he discarded what was left of it. He went back behind the bar and opened a fridge from under it, holding up a fat root that was greenish in color. "This is what we call Ambrosia."

The crew leaned over the bar to get a better look. The bartender chuckled at their curiosity.

"It's soaked in this plant oil," he said, holding up a large bottle, "which is what allows it to burn so easily right away. You break it up into a few pieces and pile them like a pyramid. Then you light it from above and the embers from the top fall down as it burns to keep the rest of it lit. That's the technique for keeping it going for so long without having to tend to it. That, and the air that rushes past it when you suck on the hose." He put the drug away again, smiling at the lot of them. "It gives you a nasty headache in the morning, but a good few ounces of water clears it right up."

Just then, the front door of the bar was thrown open, and Sanji drudged inside, clutching his head. He did not greet Robin or Nami with his usual elation. Rather, he sat down next to Nami at the bar and pressed his face against the cool surface. The bartender wasted no time in providing him with a large pitcher of water, which he drank eagerly. His hair was a mess, and his clothes were very dirty. Nami raised an eyebrow at him.

"Have fun last night, Sanji-kun?" she asked, her tone flat. He nearly choked and looked over at her, like he hadn't even noticed her when he came in.

"Uh. I had an alright time. How was your night, Nami-swan?" he asked, his voice cracking from having smoked twice the amount that was typical for him the night before. Despite all that, he found a cigarette and lit it, puffing on it between several gulps of water.

"I've had better," was all she said, purposely not looking at Luffy. The captain, unseen by her, pursed his lips together.

"I'm sorry to hear that, my beautiful and delicate navigator. Maybe in a bit I can fix you a breakfast so delicious that you'll forget all about last night." As Sanji spoke, he looked like he might pass out mid-sentence, barely able to keep his eyes open.

Before Nami could say anything about the way Sanji was acting, she was cut off by the bartender.

"No need for that, Blondie. Boss Rina has already paid for an extravagant meal for you all as a token of appreciation for your company last night. When the cooks arrive in about half an hour, they'll fix up some local cuisine that I hope you'll find to your liking."

Luffy cheered, and the crew winced at the sudden loud noise. Sanji looked relieved, nodding silently. He sucked heavily on his cigarette, burning nearly half the thing in a single breath, and put it out in the ash tray next to him. Then he folded his arms across the bar and pressed his forehead into them. The bartender laughed at him.

Nobody said anything for a while after that. They sat around, nursing and refilling their giant mugs of water, recovering together in silence. Sanji appeared to have fallen asleep sitting at the bar. Everyone else moved over to the couch where it was more comfortable, and to get out of the way of the bartender, who was still cleaning and setting things up for the day.

"Um…" It was Robin who spoke up, looking around. Everyone turned to look at her. She tapped her fingertips against her mug. "Does anyone know where Zoro is?"

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Thank you so much for reading, and an extra huge thank-you to those of you who reviewed! I get super excited over reviews apparently, so thanks for giving me some more motivation to power through this story. :D Other than that, those of you who are still with me, prepare for some angst and violence and probably some more sex in the upcoming chapters. So... now that you're aware of that, I'm not gonna put anymore warnings at the beginning of the chapter. Because that ruins the surprise! Anyway, problems haven't even begun for the Straw Hats yet~ And of course, feedback is always very much appreciated and taken into great consideration when writing! THANKS AGAIN, YOU GUYS ARE AWESOMEEEE FOR READING MY CRAP


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

* * *

Two days passed on Bulb Island and Brook grew increasingly worried. The crew … seemed to be alright in the physical sense of the word. But everyone was acting strange. And the strangest thing about it was that, apparently, Brook was the only one to notice anything at all. He'd even pulled Chopper aside, who should've been able to make a clinical diagnosis that everyone was acting a little unlike themselves, but the reindeer didn't seem to agree.

"You don't think everyone's behaving… ah… weird?" Brook asked in a hushed tone, squatted down with the tiny doctor by a giant fern. The Straw Hats were currently enjoying themselves on the beach.

"Weird how?" Chopper asked, sipping water from a large mug.

"Well… Forgive me if maybe I'm reading into it too much - I know I'm much older than all of you, and I haven't felt the callings of youth in quite some time - but don't you think everyone's being…" And Brook couldn't find the words to describe it. He looked back over at the crew.

Luffy was knee-deep in the ocean with Robin, both devil fruit users at their limits for how far out they could go into the waves, but they both seemed to be sharing in the pleasant sensation of letting the water wash over their legs and feet. They smiled and laughed together, standing close. They bumped into each other as they walked. And then there was Nami, who was grinning over something Franky and Usopp were saying to her - but her eyes continued to drop to their chests, and their thighs, and she would touch one of them on the forearm as he said something funny or clever.

"It looks like they're flirting with each other, Chopper-san," Brook blurted, but Chopper only looked confused.

"Flirting… you mean human mating rituals?" Chopper's eyebrows raised.

"Indeed! Sanji, especially, has been spending most of his time with Boss Rina-san," Brook pointed out. "And of course, we haven't seen Zoro-san in two days."

"Well, Luffy said he could feel that Zoro was still alive and well on this island, which only means he's still lost out there in the jungle. But Zoro's fine! Rina said this jungle is huge and there isn't much in there that could hurt a normal person, and Zoro's not normal… I suppose if we all split up and looked for him, we'd find him, but Rina said not to worry about it…" Chopper fidgeted a little. "And Sanji seems to be pretty happy whenever he comes back from spending time with Rina."

Brook couldn't help it - he was getting a little sick of hearing about Rina-san. The entire crew seemed only happy to follow every piece of advice and every suggestion she gave them. If Rina said they should eat, then everyone ate. If she said they should spend time enjoying the beach, they went right out into the sand. If she said they should drink and do the drugs that grew on Bulb, then the entire crew did so without any sort of hesitation! The past two nights had been nearly as eventful as the first.

"You think it's bad if the crew flirts with each other?" Chopper asked the skeleton.

"Well, no, Chopper-san, not necessarily. But it's not like them. I know we've all been apart for two years, and maybe I'm just old, but…" Brook had trouble saying it. He saw the Straw Hats as a family of sorts.

Chopper laughed and shook his head. "I think you're worrying too much, Brook! Rina's been great to us so far and everyone is happy! Zoro will turn up soon, you'll see!" And with that, the reindeer ran off to hear whatever tale Franky was telling, as Usopp and Nami were holding onto each other, laughing hysterically.

Brook sat in the shade and watched them all. Sanji was gone again. And it was very, very strange that nobody seemed to want to find Zoro. Or was it? Brook began to doubt himself. Maybe Chopper was right. Maybe nobody was being all that weird. Maybe Brook didn't know the crew like he thought he did, being the newest member… He fretted to himself. Maybe he was just crazy after all.

He stood and walked off towards the town, thinking that maybe it was a good idea if he stepped away from the situation for a while.

x X x

For two days, Nami had felt spectacular. She found it surprisingly easy to put her confrontation with Luffy out of her mind. And she felt very oddly at peace with her surroundings. She liked Bulb. Everyone seemed to really, really like Bulb a lot. The atmosphere of the island alone made her happy. Things that typically bothered her in the past didn't really put her off at all anymore. Other thoughts took up her attention.

"You know what'd be super on a day like today?" Franky asked her and Usopp as Chopper came hopping over. He didn't really wait for a response on their part. "Flying a super kite! I bet Longnose and I could make a great kite!"

"What's a kite?" Chopper asked. Apparently kites weren't very popular on the winter island he came from. Franky wasted no time in explaining the excitement and beauty in constructing your own kite and watching as it flew high into the sky. And from the way he was describing it, Franky's version of a kite was a little different from the East Blue models Nami and Usopp were familiar with.

"Let's make one together!" Chopper cried, jumping into the air with enthusiasm.

"Super!" Franky agreed. And with that, the four of them headed for the Sunny in order to procure the supplies needed to build a kite.

Luffy watched them go with a curious expression on his face.

"Maybe you should go see what they're up to," Robin said with a smile, pushing him on the back a bit. He didn't need much more convincing.

"They're on a mystery mission together and they didn't invite me! Cruel!" Luffy shouted, sprinting off after them.

x X x

"Alright," Franky began as the four of them stood together on Sunny's grass lawn. "Doctor-bro and I'll go below deck and get the guns and the things we'll need for the motor. You two," he pointed at Usopp and Nami, "grab the lighter stuff - fabric and wood and all that. You've built kites, right? You should know what to grab." And with that, the cyborg and the doctor disappeared down the stairs in one direction, leaving Usopp to lead the way in the other.

"We should find everything we need down this way…" Usopp said over his shoulder, walking down a hallway towards where he kept his supplies for his own personal projects. His big brown boots scuffed along the wood floor. Nami followed him into a small room that seemed to double as a very large closet for Usopp's inventions. Nami had never been in here. She shut the door behind them.

She smiled to herself as Usopp began digging in a large wooden crate that was half as tall as he was. She'd hung around Usopp the most after the first night they'd spent on Bulb. She couldn't say exactly why - maybe she was blocking out what'd happened with Luffy by staying close to someone who talked a lot. Maybe she'd been a little jealous when Usopp had spent so much time on that blonde girl's lap the other night. Maybe it was the way his shoulders looked when he was reaching in wooden boxes to look for supplies to build a damn kite.

She took a step closer to him. He tossed a couple planks of wood onto the ground next to them and continued to dig, muttering to himself. She didn't hear the words that came out of his mouth, but she was so close she could smell him now, and he smelled like sweat and sawdust and it was such a familiar scent. Nami put her hand on the exposed skin of his back. She did really like how his new overalls fit. Usopp froze, and she could feel his muscles tense beneath her fingers.

"What're you doing?" he asked, his voice piercing through her thoughts. She ran her hand to the back of his arm. He turned slowly and her fingertips slid along his tan skin, across his chest as he began to face her, and her touch came to rest on his bicep, which was so much bigger now than it was two years ago.

"Nothing," she said lightly, squeezing his arm.

"This isn't nothing, Nami," he said, and her heart fluttered. He wasn't being awkward, and he wasn't stammering in fear. Nami couldn't really say herself what'd come over her. Ever since she'd been on Bulb, she'd been even more aware of her crew mates than normal. Sure, she'd been taking in the changes in everyone on the ship before they arrived at the island, but in the three days total that they'd been there, little else had been on her mind to the point where she was now dragging her fingertips down Usopp's chest, watching it rise and fall as he took several long, slow, deep breaths.

"Oi, Nami…" Usopp's voice was quiet. She didn't answer him. Rather, she took his wrists in her hands, and she pressed her chest against his, standing on the balls of her feet. She kissed his neck and his skin was warm against her lips. His reached his hands out, finding her waist. His grip was firm. "Nami…"

She took two steps back. Wait. That wasn't right. Usopp had gently pushed her two steps backwards, and now she was looking up at him, her breath caught in her throat.

"I can't." He said it simply enough. His face was serious, but his eyes looked sad. Looking away from her, he gathered the rest of the supplies needed to build a fucking kite and tucked them all under an arm. He left the room.

Out in the hallway, Usopp was already almost at a jog, trying to hurry back to the group and to busy himself with something - anything else. He gritted his teeth together. What the hell was wrong with Nami? Did she realize how difficult that'd been for him? How painful? But God, couldn't she use her fucking incredible brain and think about what the hell she was doing?

Usopp's mind was racing, and he was running now, trying to get back out into the open sun. He was so preoccupied with trying not to scream that he didn't even see Luffy as he crashed into him, dropping all the kite supplies he'd been carrying. "Shit!"

Luffy laughed as he began picking up the dropped items. "Franky said he and Chopper had everything they needed on their end, so he sent me to help you and Nami. I can't believe you guys were gonna build a kite without me!"

Usopp sat on the ground where he'd fallen, frozen. He felt like he was about to break out into a cold sweat. For some reason, seeing Luffy so soon after Nami… No. No, don't think about it, he told himself. But damn, it was lucky he ran into the captain in the hallway - if Luffy had found them a couple minutes sooner… Usopp yelped and then promptly clapped his hands over his mouth.

"You okay? Usopp?" Luffy held out everything his sniper had dropped, looking slightly concerned. Usopp's eyes suddenly snapped back onto his.

"Er. Yeah! Never better! Everything is great! This kite is gonna fly at least a mile high! Okay, go get Nami!" And with that, Usopp ran off, taking the stairs two at a time.

Luffy watched him go and frowned. Usopp was being weird. Weirder than normal. Scratching his head, he walked down the hallway to the room where Usopp kept a lot of his building supplies, opening the door to find Nami standing there looking like she was about to be sick.

"Oi, Nami, you alright?" he asked her, moving closer. She gasped and looked at him, appearing to have been lost in her thoughts.

"Oh, Luffy… Yeah. Yeah, I'm alright. Why wouldn't I be? I was just… grabbing this saw that Usopp forgot," she said, forcing a grin, holding up a hand saw the sharpshooter had left on the ground.

Luffy smiled and grabbed her free hand. "Well, come on! I don't want them to start building without us! I think Franky's gonna make it really cool!"

And so Nami, still smiling through it all, walked with Luffy back towards the beach.

x X x

For the past two days, Sanji had been in heaven. After their breakfast feast had been made for them two mornings ago, and after Sanji had chugged about 2 gallons of water to try to clear his head, Rina had appeared and whisked him back to her mansion. He'd woken up there on the second morning, and was given transport back to the pub where the crew had rented rooms and stayed the night prior. And it didn't take long at all for Rina to steal him away yet again. But Sanji was hardly complaining. In fact, it was hard to keep from singing. But he was a cook and not a musician, and Rina insisted that he relax and let her staff take care of their meals.

Rina lived on top of the largest hill on the island. Her wealth was oozing out of the walls. The entire place was decorated with exotic plants and sculptures. The peculiar thing about the place was that the floors were mostly dirt with stone walkways going here and there. This allowed Rina to display her collection of plants freely about her home. And the ceilings were so high that even giant trees were scattered about. In fact, with the glass walls and ceilings, the mansion doubled as a gargantuan greenhouse.

"Sanji?" Rina spoke from her place where she laid on his chest, drawing circles around his nipple. The two of them were sprawled over a velvet lounge chair in one of the main, extremely large rooms. They'd hardly worn clothes at all for the past two days. For the time being, they were in their undergarments - Rina in a silken nightgown, and Sanji in his black boxer-briefs. Rina didn't seem to mind her staff seeing her body, and Sanji sure as hell didn't care.

"Yes, my most beautiful flower?" he asked, eyes closed, slowly blowing cigarette smoke towards the ceiling. A silver ashtray had been placed on the floor next to them, and every so often, one of Rina's staff members would come by and empty the thing, cleaning it with a white cloth while they were at it. Sanji was impressed - Rina's relationship with her employees was very warm and friendly.

"I've grown so very fond of you," she sighed, running her fingers through his hair. He smiled without looking at her.

"Rina-san, my delicate rose, you have captured my heart and soul."

Seconds of silence passed before she spoke again.

"You should stay here with me, Sanji."

He chuckled, taking a long drag before stubbing out his cigarette in the ashtray, shifting so he could face her better. "Rina-san," he began, cupping her face with one hand, "I would love nothing more than to stay here with you for all of eternity, worshipping your heavenly body. But my dream still goes unfulfilled. I must return to the sea when my crew calls upon me."

Sanji was sincere with his words. Of course, he very much enjoyed the time he spent with this new woman, but he knew where he belonged, and that was on the Thousand Sunny. No woman, regardless of her charm and beauty, could sway him from his destiny when it came down to it in all reality.

"No, Sanji, I'm serious," she said evenly, sitting up and straddling his waist. Her hair fell around her face as she gazed at him.

"So am I," he said from his place below her, making no attempt to move.

Rina sighed and snapped her fingers a few times. Mere seconds later, a servant ran over with a silver platter. On top of it, two pink flower petals rested. The woman with lilac hair and bright green eyes smiled coyly at him. She took the two petals - one in each hand - and held one out to the cook. He took it without any thought to it, raising his eyebrow in question.

"Then let's make tonight really special. This is an aphrodisiac." And that was all she said as she popped the petal in her mouth and swallowed it. Sanji, of course, did the same, though he didn't think he needed any assistance in being turned on. It was a constant struggle with him. Was that somehow not obvious?

Rina stood, then, and stretched. Sanji began to get up with her, assuming they'd go somewhere more private. She put her foot against his chest and shook her head.

"No. You lay there."

He complied with her wishes and put his hands behind his head, making himself comfortable. And then, thick vines crept up the lounge chair he was on and before he could react, they'd managed to wrap themselves around his wrists, ankles, and neck. Sanji's eyes widened. And his cock twitched.

"I have no intention of letting you leave this island when your crew decides to leave. I'll simply keep you here."

Sanji's eyes bulged and he immediately began thrashing against the vines, but to no avail. He tried to scream at her, but he was being quite effectively strangled. The veins in his arms began to stick out as he pulled, the circulation in his hands mostly cut off now.

"I don't know what you're so worked up about. Haven't you been enjoying yourself these past few days?" She folded her arms across her chest. "You might as well stop bucking around. You're drugged right now, you have only a fraction of your typical strength available. And even if you were at full strength, you wouldn't be able to break these vines. You'll start to feel the other effects soon." She looked at his crotch and laughed a little. Despite his anger and panic, he had an impressive erection, outlined in detail in his boxer-briefs. "I see some other symptoms have already popped up. You know, if you just relax, I'll let you breathe."

Sanji grew still then, already getting light-headed. He almost couldn't feel his hands. After a few seconds of calmness, the vine around his throat loosened, and he sucked in a huge lungful of air, hacking and coughing for nearly a full minute after. When he was able to breathe normally again, he didn't waste any time.

"Listen, Rina-san, you may think you've got me beat, but you don't know my captain, and you don't know my crew, or me, and if you think I'd ever let you separate me from them, you're higher than I am right now. None of them will stand for it. You're putting yourself in danger by even trying to capture me." His voice was hoarse, but level.

She barked out a laugh and shook her head, sitting next to him. "Sanji, you sweet man. You may think you and your crew are some kind of elite force to be reckoned with… and sure, maybe you're all strong. But you're on my island. You've already lost. If your crew can't accept your resignation, they will be captured, tortured, and killed before you. Really, their lives are in your hands."

He growled, straining against the vines once again. She stood up, rolling her eyes. The vine that'd cut off his airflow returned, squeezing even tighter than before.

"Dummy, let me break it down for you. You're cute, but you're kinda stupid, huh?"

Sanji glared daggers at her.

"First of all, in case it wasn't obvious…" Rina took a step back as several plants grew from the very soil around her. And not just any plants - these plants were huge, and they had teeth and thorns bigger than Sanji's forearm. What was more, they moved about as if they had muscles and a mind of their own. One giant plant in particular - something resembling a variation of a venus flytrap - actually moved its roots and came near Sanji, snapping its leaflike jaws at him. A putrid saliva-sort of substance oozed from its "mouth." Rina grinned from behind it. "I am a devil fruit user. I ate the seed-seed fruit. I can grow any plant at my whim, once I touch it. I can control it completely, down to every cell. And I can hybridize any number of species."

She got closer to him, and the flytrap made no threatening move towards her. In fact, it mimicked some of her actions. "You may think plants aren't such threatening creatures…" she ran her hand along the top of the plant next to her like it was some kind of pet, "but as a chef, you must have some basic knowledge of chemistry. You mix some things together… you get a reaction. Many chemicals come from plants, you know. Many medicines. That's why my people are always healthy. And you know, you can make many different types of drugs from plants too." Her smile was as venomous as the carnivorous plant beside her.

Sanji's face was turning as blue as his hands and feet. His struggling had lessened considerably. He was fighting to stay conscious. Upon seeing this, Rina must've taken some pity on him, for the vines loosened. Though Sanji found that, even with the lax restraints, he could hardly move. His body was incredibly sluggish and wasn't responding to what his brain was telling it.

"My assistant, Ronolo, happens to be quite skilled in the art of chemistry, and when I can manipulate plant growth so that certain chemicals are present… Well. I can make any drug I want, really." She sat down next to him then, running her hand along his chest. She let it continue downwards, coming to rest on his groin. Almost instantly, Sanji was squirming and writhing under her, desperate for further friction. He was overwhelmed - his thighs were shaking and he couldn't help but groan. The sensation was beyond compare. He'd never been so horny in his life, and even the slightest touch was sending his body reeling. His hands and feet were on fire as blood rushed back to them.

"The petal I made you eat has several side-effects. Hypersensitivity, for one," she chuckled, squeezing his thigh. Sanji moaned loudly, his breath quickening. "A loss of motor control. Sedation. And like I said - it's an aphrodisiac. Probably the most powerful we've ever created. I'm glad to see it's working so well. The petal I ate was a fake, of course. You're much too trusting, Sanji… although I might've had something to do with that as well."

"What?!" he finally gasped, desperation in his voice.

"Oh, yes. The food you and your crew have eaten in the past few days… drugged. And the entire island's water supply. The effects of which cause a person to become highly suggestive, docile, agreeable, submissive. Ah, and there's an aphrodisiac in the food and water, though it's much more subtle, of course. A larger population is a stronger island, you know. Plus, it creates such unity and closeness among the people. That… and I think it's been messing with your crew a bit," she giggled, hand over her mouth.

"_What?!_" Sanji screeched again, trying so hard to grab her, or to sit up, or move at all. He couldn't even lift his arms. She was sitting right next to him doing nothing and yet she was controlling him completely! "You've been drugging this island?! These people adore you!"

"Well, yeah, because I've been heavily influencing them since this island's birth. I made this town. I rescued these people and helped create homes for them. It was my money that started this place. And it was my power that made it beautiful. So what if I take extra measures to ensure the happiness and loyalty of my people? Everyone loves it here on Bulb." She shrugged, patting him on the chest. Even that made Sanji intake a sharp breath. Every touch sent his body through an eruption of sensation and pleasure. It was quite incapacitating.

"And you've been fucking with my crew?" Sanji tried to shout, though his throat was so raw. He clearly had forgotten his typical manners around ladies.

"Yeah!" Rina thought this point was especially funny. "I've been watching them, of course. They can't keep off each other and it's really messing with some of them I think."

Sanji was enraged. Kidnapping him was one thing, but to screw with the minds of his nakama was a different story. "They won't stand for this. They'll destroy you."

Rina stood then and backed up well away from him. The vines that'd restrained Sanji minutes earlier slithered away, and new vines replaced them, sprouting right out of the ground. Although these vines were much thinner, and had large thorns sticking out of them. They hovered over Sanji. Rina's expression grew darker.

"Don't be so naive. This is the New World. Everyone is more than capable of handling themselves in the face of newbies like your lot. And I have much more in my arsenal. Even when they come for you, sweet Sanji, I'll be ready. They'll walk right into their own demise, unless you volunteer to stay here with me. And me and my plants can be very convincing."

Then, before Sanji could respond any further, the vines whipped down on him, and his body convulsed as it was shocked and burned. The hypersensitivity caused him to feel the sensation tenfold. He opened his mouth to scream, but no sound passed his lips. Every inch of him exploded, and he felt like his entire body was on burning down to his bones. And then, after a few seconds of agony, it stopped, and he couldn't move at all. His skin felt like it was vibrating.

"These vines are my favorite. I call them strike vines. They're a bit like stinging nettles… Anyway, as you can see, they have quite the painful sting, and they leave you paralyzed for about an hour. Isn't that intense?" she was laughing again. "Oh, we're going to have a lot of fun for a while. That petal you ate… the effects last for about two days."

x X x

Two days. Two days had come and gone and Zoro was still lost in this fucking jungle. He'd hallucinated for a full day, wandering aimlessly with his swords clanking at his side. For two days he hadn't eaten or found any fresh water. He was sure he was going in circles. What the fuck had he been thinking?! Why had he suddenly decided he wanted to explore the jungle on that stupid night when that god damned woman had offered him the giant mushroom?! And why hadn't anyone thought to fucking stop him?!

At least he was sober now. That had been so stupid. Why had he felt challenged? Like he _had_ to eat the mushroom Rina had went and found for him? But no matter - it was all in the past now. The trees and shrubbery were so thick that it took him ages to make any real progress, slicing through select plants to clear his way. He felt it would be rude to decimate the entire jungle in order to find his way back to town. They had been pretty hospitable and all.

Covered in sweat and dirt, Zoro was caught by surprise as he suddenly stumbled forward, tripping over an exposed root. He rolled a bit and came to rest at the bottom of a huge, cleared hill. And at the top was a huge mansion with glass walls.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **So the action has begun! And the time is coming for Zoro to finally start having some actual presence in this story. I must apologize for the delay in publishing this chapter - I'll do my best to keep the updates coming regularly from now on. Anywhoozles, hopefully there is some sense being made of the behavior of the crew now! Rina's a sneaky ho to be sure. And that's .. pretty much all I have to say for now. Thanks again sosososososoooo much for reading and reviewing! You guys are awesome and perfect.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

* * *

Rina, of course, already knew who was banging at the door before she got there, but that didn't stop her from bursting out into a loud fit of giggles upon seeing his face. Zoro was rather dirty, and his hair was clumped together and sticking up in some choice directions, standing there huffing on her massive doorstep.

"Zoro! I see you've finally found your way out of that jungle! I was starting to get worried! But your crew said it wasn't too unusual for you, so…" She grinned.

The swordsman did not find the same humor in the situation. He grunted and pushed past her inside. She followed, showing him to a place he could sit.

"You'll have to forgive me, I gave you that mushroom thinking you'd enjoy something a little stronger!" she said through chuckles, summoning for her servants to bring them drinks. "You must be famished. And thirsty! I'll have something prepared for you - it's the least I can do!"

Zoro said nothing, but he did sit on a long couch and stretch. Not a minute later, a drink was placed on the side table next to the couch, and Rina nodded towards it, indicating he should drink up. Zoro did not hesitate in the notion - he was parched. He downed the large mug in five big gulps.

"That's got a rehydrating mix in it, it's very good for you." Rina smiled as Zoro once again grunted in response. She sat next to him and leaned on him a bit. "But you know, you have to admit you had a little fun, didn't you?"

Setting the mug down, he rubbed his mouth and looked over at her. And he broke into a very slight smile, though, with the rest of his face being so hard and serious, Rina thought he looked a bit crazed. "I guess I did have some fun wandering around the first night. But the next day was no…"

Rina kept smiling as Zoro's speech faded off and he began to tilt away from her. Apparently he realized what'd just happened, because his eyes widened and he managed to give her a nasty face just before he passed out.

x X x

When Zoro awoke again, he was lying in dirt. At first he thought he was back outside, but after his eye adjusted to the low level of light, he realized he was in some sort of … cage. Craning his neck, he discerned that there were vines with huge thorns going every which way, and they surrounded him in a dome shape. They grew right out of the ground. And a few feet past the menacing vines were four very solid-looking walls. And of course he didn't have his swords on him anymore.

Feeling drowsy at best, he groaned, rubbing his neck. And then he started - there was someone in the cage with him, sprawled across the floor.

"Oi, shithead. Don't touch the vines."

Zoro's throat tightened, and he crawled over to a very bloody Sanji, who was laying on his back, chewing on his bottom lip.

"What the hell?"

"You were obviously dosed by that damn jungle witch. It would seem she's not as hospitable as we first gathered," Sanji's informed him, his hands resting behind his head, his eyes on the ceiling above them. He didn't even look at Zoro.

"I figured that out when I woke up in a cage, asshole. I meant what the hell happened to you? Did you say something stupid and piss her off, you shitty love-cook?"

"Yeah." Sanji said with a loud exhale, still gnawing on his lip like it was a piece of candy. "She wanted me to stay on this island and I told her I couldn't."

Zoro sat back, folding his legs next to Sanji. That wasn't what he expected at all. It would've made more sense for the stupid cook to say something out of line and offend the young woman - he certainly hadn't considered the possibility that Sanji would reject her. His mind was still so foggy, it was hard to imagine even if it was the truth. He looked down at his beaten cook.

"You sure you're alright?" he asked the blonde.

Without missing a beat, Sanji immediately huffed, "Yeah, of course I'm alright. She's not going to kill me when she's going through so much trouble to keep us here. Worry more about getting out. If you touch the vines, you're more or less paralyzed for a while. They're under the dirt too, so no digging out."

Zoro shrugged. "Our crew can handle this one insufferable woman. I'm not worried."

And then there was silence between them, because Zoro wasn't sure what else to say, and he was starting to pay more attention to Sanji's labored breathing, which was much more obvious now that they'd stopped talking.

He decided not to comment on the cook's attire. Sanji was wearing boxer-briefs and one of his white button-up shirts. Though Zoro could hardly call it white now - it was mostly red, and brown in places where the blood had dried. How long had Sanji been trapped here? Without a word, the swordsman reached over and pushed up Sanji's shirt a bit to gage the damage - his side was still bleeding. But before he could get a good look, Sanji started writhing under him, taking in a long, sharp breath.

"Don't," he groaned under Zoro, taking deeper breaths now. "_Don't._"

Zoro raised an eyebrow. "If you're still bleeding, then we need to make it stop bleeding. That shouldn't be too hard for even you to comprehend."

"Just don't touch me at all, alright?" Sanji's tone dropped, and he looked at Zoro for the first time in that cage, and Zoro could see the tension in his face.

"Don't be a fucking idiot," Zoro growled back at him. He reached for Sanji's shirt again, not caring if the cook was embarrassed of his wounds or not. He figured that was Sanji's problem - he was embarrassed. Nothing else really made sense. Or maybe it just hurt him. But still, Sanji was tougher than that. So, moving slowly so he wouldn't aggravate whatever wound Sanji was hiding so desperately, he pulled his shirt up to his ribs.

"Ah…"

Zoro's eye snapped back to Sanji's, which were closed now. That didn't sound like a noise someone would make when they were in pain. But there was indeed a rather large gash in the blonde's side, which hadn't stopped bleeding.

"Damn it," Zoro grumbled, rubbing his hands on his pants. He probably didn't need to get dirt in Sanji's wounds. Why hadn't he tried to stop this bleeding yet? He started to unbutton Sanji's shirt so he could use it to wrap up the wound, but stopped when he felt the other man's hand grip around his arm. Sanji was giving him a pleading look.

"Listen. I can't… move very easily right now."

"So? I'll do it all for you. You're usually worthless anyway." Sanji's arm fell to the ground.

"Stop," Sanji said, voice barely above a whisper. "Damn it, Zoro, stop."

The swordsman did halt for a second. Hearing Sanji call him by his real name was almost foreign to his ears. He got fed up with Sanji's stupid protesting. This was ridiculous. "God damn it, why?!" he finally asked through clenched teeth. Why the hell did that damn cook have to be so frustrating?

Then, through what seemed like a great deal of effort, Sanji pushed himself into a sitting position, and he leaned in close to Zoro, and their eyes connected. Zoro swallowed hard and the hair on the back of his neck stood on end, but he couldn't say why just yet. The look on Sanji's face had silenced him.

"Because, dumbfuck, it feels good."

x X x

The day had worn on and Nami found herself sitting next to Luffy in the sand, watching the kite they'd all constructed together zoom around against an orange sky. Usopp was, to Nami's immense relief, acting perfectly normal, like nothing had happened. Maybe nothing really had happened, and it was all in Nami's head. The experience had been surreal. It'd been like she'd almost lost complete control of herself. Being on this island, around all these boys - it was doing her head in. So, after the kite's great success, Nami slipped back during the excitement and walked aways a bit, finding a place to sit by herself in the sand to watch everyone. And after some time had passed, Luffy had noticed her and jogged over, throwing himself down next to her, sweating from running around in Bulb's extreme humidity.

"This island's making me feel weird," she confessed suddenly, breaking the silence that'd settled between them. Looking over at Luffy, a hand up to shield her eyes from the sun, she frowned.

He nodded slowly, still watching the kite. "Me too."

"How do you feel weird?" she asked, suddenly curious. Maybe it wasn't just her. Maybe she wasn't going insane.

"I dunno." He shrugged his shoulders, smiling. Nami rolled her eyes. Luffy was never one to be eloquent when speaking of his emotions.

And again, there was silence. A minute passed by before Nami spoke again.

"I keep thinking weird things."

Luffy finally looked at her and started laughing. "I always think about weird things! Who doesn't? They're fun to think about."

Nami sighed. That was true and all, but it wasn't quite what she was trying to say. She wasn't even sure why she was trying to say anything at all, especially to such a dense captain. But she felt like something was tugging at her - like she had an itch that she needed to scratch. There was a pull on her, and she felt like she was losing the battle against it.

"I've been thinking about you."

The words were out of her mouth before the thought went through her head. As soon as she said it, she wished she could reach out and grab the words and stuff them back in her mouth and swallow them. Her eyes were wide, and she clenched handfuls of sand in each fist. What the hell was wrong with her?!

Luffy's eyes were downcast, and he sat there, letting sand fall between his fingers.

"What're you gonna do about it then?" he asked her finally after several aching moments. He didn't look up.

Nami's mouth fell open a bit as she watched her captain. He was acting in that way again that threw her for a loop. She'd seen it every very great once in a while - suddenly Luffy would have a bought of insight, or he'd actually be serious about something. Nami had always known that Luffy wasn't as stupid as he pretended. Not really. But it was still surprising when her captain would get that look on his face, and his voice would lower, and he'd say something worthwhile. Something that made her think.

Instead of answering him, she got up and started walking towards the Thousand Sunny, brushing sand off her as she went. Not once did she look back. Luffy sat back and watched her go, squinting past the setting sun. He glanced over at his crew, still running in circles over the kite. And he had to admit - it was a pretty great kite. Chopper was on Usopp's shoulders, and he was darting around, making engine sounds while the reindeer held his arms out, pretending to fly. And Robin and Franky were sitting together in the sand. Robin was laughing at her comrades while Franky continued to pilot the kite. Luffy's eyes went back to Nami's fleeting form. He ran after her.

x X x

Zoro's voice had left him. His mouth, which had been hanging open for the past few seconds, snapped shut with a click. Sanji fell back onto the ground, taking deep breaths.

"I've been drugged."

The cook chewed the hell out of his bottom lip, which, it occurred to Zoro, was probably because there were no cigarettes to be seen in their shared cell. The swordsman sat back and exhaled a breath he realized he'd been holding. Sanji wouldn't look at him. And Zoro could understand why - he'd never really seen the blonde in such a vulnerable state. Half naked, dirty and bloodied - still bleeding - and completely at Zoro's mercy, seeing as how he couldn't hardly even move.

"I…" Zoro began, shifting his weight onto his knees and pushing himself up into a kneeling position.

"Yeah, you what?" Sanji pressed from his spot on the ground.

"I don't know, you stupid shitty cook. You're bleeding, so…"

"So what? I'm not gonna die."

Zoro growled and grabbed the front of Sanji's shirt, yanking him up to face level with him. The cook was nearly all dead weight.

"What the hell! You might! How long have you been like this? Who knows how long we're gonna be here! If you don't don't try to at least stop the bleeding… what the fuck!" Zoro threw Sanji back down, and his head smacked on the ground with a thud. The man before him grit his teeth in pain, but Zoro showed no sign of sympathy or remorse.

And again, there was silence between them. Zoro got up and began to pace the cell, and Sanji closed his eyes, seemingly relieved as he chewed his lip. But as Sanji's mind began to drift, cloudy from being so high along with probably being half-concussed after hitting his head so hard, he felt himself being lifted by the front of his shirt once again.

"God damn it," Sanji mumbled, his head lolling back. "Come on, don't do this to me," he said even softer.

"I've made my decision." Zoro's face was hard and determined, and he made no eye contact with Sanji as the cook lifted his head. Instead, Zoro focused on the task he'd assigned himself: he didn't care if the idiot chef had too much pride to be put into this kind of situation - he was nakama, and Zoro wasn't going to sit around while he bled to death. The ground around them was stained enough already.

Zoro pulled Sanji forward, supporting him with his chest as they sat facing each other, the blonde's long legs sprawled on either side of Zoro, who sat with his own legs crossed. Sanji's head fell forward, his chin coming to rest on Zoro's shoulder. The swordsman could hear the other man's heavy breathing in his ear. Slowly, with his back straight and stiff as a board, Zoro began to unbutton the other man's shirt, keeping still so Sanji wouldn't slide off. And Sanji breathed harder.

"Zoro.." Sanji said in nearly a whisper, and the swordsman did not respond. Sanji's eyes closed. His mind was in a frenzy, and his body was only slightly under his control at best. He couldn't stop this. And then, he was having an internal battle over whether he even wanted to or not. Shivers ran down his spine. The feeling of another body so close, unbuttoning the front of his shirt, was steadily erasing all other thoughts from his head. With every button that came undone, he felt his reasoning leaving him.

As Zoro worked his way down the shirt, he found his fingers lingering on the final buttons. He could feel Sanji shift a little. He was utterly silent as he felt the cook turn his head a little so that his warm breath rolled over Zoro's neck. His knuckles brushed against the waistband of Sanji's boxer-briefs. The cook nearly moaned.

Neither uttered a word. Zoro reached up to Sanji's collar and began to slowly, carefully, tug the shirt off his shoulders. Sanji moved his arms sluggishly, doing his best to make it easier for Zoro to remove it completely. The chef's actions were slow and clumsy, but he managed to get his top off with some effort. Once free, Sanji's arms fell lifelessly to his sides.

And then Zoro debated how he should do this, Sanji's shirt clenched in his fist next to them. If he laid the cook back on the ground, he risked getting even more dirt in the wound. Glancing down, he saw several other angry red marks going down the blonde's back, like someone had taken a lash to him. So that decided it. The swordsman continued to support Sanji in their near-embrace, opting to rip the shirt into strips in his lap between them. The sound of the fabric tearing was deafening in their silence.

The process of destroying the shirt to form bandages took entirely too little time. But the job was nearly done, and Zoro could breath easier once it was over. He'd tried to empty his mind in concentration on the task at hand, but all he could focus on was Sanji's breath against his skin, and the feel of the other man's throat pressed into his shoulder, and the way, with Sanji's bare skin so close to his nose, all he could smell was the chef's scent. He began with the first strip of cloth, stretching his arms to pass it along behind Sanji's back, and found his reach wasn't long enough. He clenched his jaw, saying absolutely nothing as he scooted forward, very slowly, his hand pressed against the cook's back to keep him steady as he moved. He adjusted Sanji's legs, heavy from being nearly completely muscle, to rest over his own, bringing the man close enough to himself so that he could wrap his chest and continue to support him in a sitting position.

Zoro felt Sanji's hands fall, completely limp, against his ankles. The blonde was very nearly sitting in Zoro's lap. And Zoro knew that. And so did Sanji. Though still, both said nothing.

The swordsman began again with the first strip, pulling it tight into place. And then the second. Sanji's breathing was deeper now. Zoro took his time with the third strip, securing it with steady hands, his fingers rubbing against the chef's chest as he secured it. And then he felt Sanji biting at his neck. He still said nothing. He reached for the fourth strip. Sanji began to suck and kiss on his neck, fingers twitching against his ankles. He felt the cook's hands fall roughly against his thighs, and they started working their way up towards his groin and Zoro could feel his cock twitch.

"Cook."

Sanji did not answer him. Zoro's hands had frozen, still holding the fourth strip of his make-shift bandaging. Sanji's hands found Zoro's haramaki, and he tried tugging upwards on it to expose the man's waistband, but found he didn't quite have the strength.

"…Hey, cook."

Cold hands found their way up under the haramaki, and sloppy fingers scratched against his stomach as they curled around his waistband.

"_Sanji!_"

But the cook ignored him. Instead, he craned his neck, dragging his tongue along warm flesh until his lips found earlobe, and he sucked and nibbled on it. Zoro took a sharp breath. He felt the tips of Sanji's fingers graze against the base of his hardening cock and he suddenly jerked the other man backwards, a death-grip on his shoulders, holding him up. The rest of the unwrapped bandages remained forgotten between them.

The blonde's head had rolled backwards at the sudden movement, and he raised it slowly once more, keeping his eyes downcast.

"Idiot cook, I'm not going to do this with you. Especially while you're so fucked up."

"I don't care. I don't care that I'm fucked up. I don't care," Sanji said, leaning - falling, really - towards Zoro again. The swordsman caught the cook by the throat. Sanji didn't cough or fight or anything. Instead, he just looked up at Zoro, and the swordsman immediately lost himself. Sanji's face was flushed. His mouth hung open slightly, though Zoro knew sure as hell the other man couldn't breathe when he had such a firm grip around his neck. All of Sanji's weight was behind him. Zoro could see Sanji's wet tongue slide along his lips before he started chewing on them again, even while being asphyxiated. Glancing down, Zoro looked at the rest of the bandages he still needed to wrap around the bleeding cook. And just past the bandages, he could see the erection that stood out against Sanji's briefs.

Finally, Zoro released his hold on Sanji, and the chef fell forward against the other man's chest, and his reaction was immediate. Sanji bit hard into his shoulder, grabbing the back of Zoro's neck and pulling himself into the swordsman's lap.

"Fuck, Sanji, God damn it, you gotta stop, you're not right in the head right now, you're-"

"I don't care," Sanji said again, and he crashed his lips against Zoro's, sucking at his bottom lip, taking it between his teeth. He pulled, and through his teeth, he groaned, "I don't care." And Zoro found himself kissing his rival, letting the hunger between them draw him in. "I don't care," Sanji breathed against his lips, the phrase becoming his mantra.

They went at each other like starved animals, with Zoro pressing his tongue into Sanji's mouth as he opened it, almost growling. He shoved his finger into Sanji's mouth, licking around it, and then the chef was sucking on it, and Zoro felt bony fingers closing in around his tool, and all the air in his lungs was suddenly gone. Sanji ground himself against Zoro's lap, moving his head to suck at the swordsman's adam's apple.

Then Zoro felt cool air against his wet neck as Sanji's lips left him. He looked down at the cook, who was leaning back. Wait. No. Sanji's strength had given out, and he fell backwards, landing against the cold ground with a grunt.

There was a pause between them - a break in which Zoro could rethink what he was doing. He studied the cook on the floor before him, whose lap was still planted firmly in his own. The other man's chest rose and fell rapidly, and Zoro could hear the difficulty Sanji was having physically just by the sound of his breathing. The cook stared up at him.

"C'mon. Just do it. I don't care, I want it. Do it. Zoro."

And that's all it took. Zoro lunged upon the other man, draping himself over him, sucking hard on his neck while he reached into the man's briefs, gripping him tight and stroking him quickly. The sudden overload had Sanji nearly vibrating. He writhed and arched his back, unable to move much more than that, but he gathered his voice, and he found himself being quite vocal.

"God, fuck-"

Sanji's head pressed harder into the dirt beneath them as he rolled it backwards, tangling and staining his blonde hair with soil.

"God damn, I-"

Once more, Zoro shoved his index finger into Sanji's mouth, and the chef sucked vigorously, and then Zoro pushed another finger into Sanji's mouth, and another, and the cook's tongue worked around them. With Sanji's ass still in his lap, Zoro continued to force Sanji to suck on his fingers while he used his free hand to rub the man's erection through his undergarments.

"Stoh uckin' wih me," Sanji mouthed around Zoro's fingers, which worked their way closer to the back of his throat. His body was on fire. The wounds he suffered stung, but the pain coupled with the very strong aphrodisiac he'd been given were driving him to an extreme state in his mind. The hypersensitivity was only intensifying everything tenfold. Zoro's fingers slid from his mouth and he raised an eyebrow at the cook. Sanji glared up at him. "C'mon. Stop being such a pussy. I can take it so let's have it."

And then Zoro slapped Sanji fucking hard, and he grabbed the chef's jaw and leaned down close to him. "If you say so."

The swordsman shoved the cook backwards out of his lap so that his whole body was flat on the ground. He leaned down and bit against an exposed bit of Sanji's chest that he hadn't wrapped yet. He could taste copper in his mouth. Sanji inhaled a quick, deep breath with the sudden pain, and just as he did so, Zoro grabbed him by the throat, effectively cutting off his air supply. Sanji's knees bent on either side of Zoro.

With a quick movement, Zoro then yanked Sanji's boxer-briefs down to his thighs. And then he let go of Sanji's neck in order to pull the fabric down to his ankles, and then off completely, setting them aside.

"Fucking b-"

Almost immediately, Zoro's hand was in a vice grip around Sanji's throat again, and the blonde made a choked sound as he was cut off mid-sentence. The swordsman pushed Sanji's legs farther apart, and he shoved his fingers into the chef's mouth once again for just a few seconds before he pulled them away. And then he slipped a finger into Sanji, and then another, and a third, and Sanji's one visible eye was wide and tearing up but Zoro certainly didn't stop.

For another thirty seconds - Zoro counted silently in his head - he asphyxiated Sanji while he worked his fingers back and forth. And then he pushed into Sanji hard, up to his knuckles, and let go of the chef, who gasped for air, eyes fluttering closed. For several moment, there was only extremely hard breathing. Zoro's hand did not move. And then, gradually, Sanji found his breath. He was sweating now.

"Fuck," he coughed.

In response, Zoro withdrew from him and stood up. He undressed himself quickly and Sanji watched, gnawing on his lip all the while. And then Zoro kneeled in front of Sanji and yanked on his thighs, pulling the blonde's hips up and towards him, and he pushed Sanji until his weight was on his upper back, and his ass was in the air, as Zoro intended it to be. Stroking himself, Zoro pressed himself against the chef's opening, and the two met eyes, glaring at each other. And with no warning, the swordsman buried himself in the cook.

Sanji's mouth opened, but no sound came out for the first few seconds. And then, he found his voice.

"OW, FUCKING SHIT, YOU FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT, FUCK," Sanji screamed, banging his head back against the ground. Zoro raised his eyebrows and paused for just a second, and Sanji caught the look. "DON'T YOU FUCKING STOP, YOU SICK SON OF A BITCH, FUCK YOU."

And for the first time since they'd been in their cell together, Zoro grinned.

Sanji yelped and shouted and cursed, moaning in between each breath. He could hear Zoro's occasional grunts and groans, and Sanji would smile wildly, his body being rocked back and forth harshly against the hard soil beneath them. And when Zoro reached down, wrapping strong fingers around the other man's tool, he pumped it in synchronization with each thrust. Zoro's mouth fell open as he watched Sanji throw his head back once more, arching his back at an incredible angle and shaking as he came on himself, making a mess over a large portion of his stomach. With that, Zoro withdrew from Sanji, and the blonde watched as the swordsman keeled over, breathy moans escaping him as he spilled himself onto Sanji's thighs and fell backwards.

For a while, neither said anything. The sound of their breathing filled their cell. And then Zoro heard Sanji laughing a little, and he looked over at him to see the blonde still laying there, his eyes closed, just giggling away.

"What?" he asked, standing up to retrieve his clothes.

"Oh, I don't know. I feel pretty fucked up I guess." With obvious difficulty, Sanji sat up and looked down at himself. "Hand me those bandages."

Zoro complied without thinking, kicking the strips of cloth towards the cook. Sanji picked them up, bunched them all together, and started wiping himself off.

"Hey. I still… we still need to stop the bleeding," Zoro frowned.

Sanji started laughing again. "Oh yeah?" He tossed the wet wad of bandages away towards the cell wall.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** As always, thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! All views and reviews are appreciated and loved so much so thanks guys. 3 SRS I MEAN IT, IT LIKE MAKES MY DAY ALRIGHT. And right now i'm about to go to sleep because it's stupid late and i'm delirious so I'm sure I'll be re-reading this and correcting mistakes in the morning, so. Enjoy your day and once more thank you x 1000


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

* * *

Nami's heart throbbed out of her chest. She made it back to the Sunny, back to her room, her safe haven. She sat down hard on the bed and took several deep breaths. Her mind flashed to how she'd told Luffy she'd had 'weird' thoughts about him. Why in the hell… And would he even know what that meant? Then again, Luffy had openly admitted to her that he was no virgin, and just the thought of that made her stomach flop all over again. It wasn't that she was jealous or upset over the idea. Rather, she was turned on that he, of all people in the entire world, was more experienced than she.

Her sexual history was rather limited. And as far as being with the crew went… well, she wasn't going to think about that. Instead, she wondered who the hell Luffy'd had sex with. But oh yeah, didn't he wind up on some island with only women? The answer should be obvious.

Nami thought about Luffy kissing someone. Her silly, idiotic and clueless captain had kissed someone before. He'd been intimate with someone before. He'd been horny. He'd acted upon his feelings. The idea was mind-boggling.

She stopped thinking about it as her imagination became vivid. It wasn't that she didn't want to think about it - it was that she found that she really enjoyed thinking about it. And that was dangerous. Was she in love with him? It was hard to say. If she was in love with Luffy, then she was in love with Sanji, and Usopp, and Robin, and everyone else. They were her family, and they were irreplaceable. But she'd always told herself that sex would screw with the equation. Nami wondered if the rest of the crew had ever faced this dilemma, and if they had, what'd they do about it?

Just as Nami's daydream started wandering towards what it'd be like for the rest of the crew to behave intimately with each other, she heard the doorknob click. It was turning. Her eyes widened and her mind went blank.

The door opened and Luffy was there, his straw hat planted firmly on his head. He didn't say anything upon seeing her. He simply stepped inside her room and shut the door quietly behind him. Their eyes locked and they openly stared at each other in the silence and privacy of that room. Neither said a word. Luffy took another slow step forward.

Nami stood up abruptly and took several strides towards him, and Luffy quickly met her in the middle, grabbing her up and kissing her hard, hands gripped around her upper arms tight. She reached up and ran her fingers through his hair, pulling it as she kissed his lips again and again, knocking his hat so that it hung against his back. Their arms wrapped around each other, and they squeezed each other like they were trying to meld into a single being.

He leaned forward on her, effectively pushing her back several steps, and he walked with her until the backs of her knees hit her mattress and she found herself suddenly seated, and she was being pushed backwards even further as Luffy crawled on top of her. He slipped his arms behind her back, laying across her chest, pressing himself against her, and he parted his lips, and then Luffy's tongue was exploring the inside of her mouth and she, wow, she loved it.

She was absolutely swimming, her senses overwhelmed. Not even in her daydreams did she imagine it would be like this. In her head, Luffy was stupid and clumsy and completely ignorant on the ways of interacting with a woman. She never pictured him to be so sure of himself. So natural. Her heart was threatening to explode inside her. He was all she could see, all she could think or feel. His body was so warm against hers, and she ground her pelvis against his, heat rushing up between her thighs, and the two squirmed together, needy for friction. Nami had given in completely. She wanted this. She needed this. _Boys_.

He broke from her and kissed down her neck, still hugging her tight. She gasped for breath, running her hands beneath his vest along the skin of his back. Luffy's lips found her mouth again, and he kissed her now not with the urgency she'd felt when they began - rather, he cupped her face tight, and then he was tangling his fingers in her hair while lips slowly and firmly came together. Her heart skipped, and the two remained just like that, nearly frozen aside from the gentle readjustments they made with their mouths, trying different angles, getting to know each other in this fashion now.

It was several minutes before Luffy broke from her again, and he pushed himself up and away from her with his hands. His eyes traced down her features. Nami realized he was taking her in, seeing her this way now for the first time. She put a hand over her mouth and chuckled a little. And then she was giggling, and it grew until she was laughing quite hard. Luffy snorted and started laughing with her. It was too much - finally seeing each other like this, after so many years. The two couldn't stop, and Luffy fell to the side of her, laying next her, and he grabbed her and they held each other while their laughter filled the room.

It was several minutes before they both calmed down, trying to catch their breath. Nami took the opportunity to roll on top of him, and she sat on his stomach, grinning down at him. Her fingers found the edge of her tiny shirt and she pulled it up over her head. She tossed the fabric to the floor, and Luffy put a hand on her back to steady her as he sat up, folding his legs to create a spot for her in his lap as he reached behind her to unclasp her bra.

There was a pause. She could feel his fingers twist and pull and tug and push but the bra remained securely fastened. She started chuckling again, grinning to herself against his neck, relieved that there were still some things he wasn't good at when it came to intimacy. There were still things he didn't know. Thank God. It would've been too much for her to bare if Luffy turned out to have some alternate sex-god persona. He growled and huffed and grew frustrated until she finally arched her back, reaching backwards to unclasp it herself.

Freeing herself from it, the bra fell between them, and Luffy hugged her to his chest tight, kissing her again, and she could feel the urgency and need creeping back. Pushing hard, she forced him back onto his back, and she laid down on top of him, his hands roaming her sides, her hips, and they came to rest on her ass, which she found she simply adored. She rocked her hips into him, and she could feel him smile against her mouth. His knees bent on either side of her, and he pulled her against what Nami realized to be a very hard erection. She could feel it pressing into her, and she adjusted, rubbing her thigh against it. The gluttural sound he made would stay with her for the rest of her life.

The two were locked together, rubbing, grinding, and their kisses grew more frantic. Her hair was everywhere and his looked like he'd been in a tornado. He panted against her cheeks, moving down to suck against her neck, and she craned it back, allowing him all the flesh he desired. She wanted him to suck on her skin. She wanted him to leave a mark.

She grinned, her eyes closed, and his hands were creeping up her side again, moving towards her breasts. And then, her voice caught in her throat and her heart stopped beating completely. Her thoughts had been interrupted when she heard a very loud screech.

"What the hell?! You've got to be KIDDING ME!"

Usopp was standing in the door, his mouth open, and he was staring at Nami. He didn't look at Luffy, who was caught like a deer in headlights, his eyes wide and desperate. Usopp only looked at the navigator.

"Oh God, Usopp, I-" Nami began, but she was swiftly cut off as he slammed the door, fleeing the scene as quickly as he'd arrived on it. She leapt off Luffy in one motion and ran to the window in her room, watching the sniper tear off at top speed. She'd never catch him even if she went after him now and ran as fast as she could for as long as she could until she collapsed. She turned around and sat on the ground, leaning back against the wall. Her eyes were downcast.

She glanced up at Luffy, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, seeming to be very deep in thought, which almost hurt Nami to look at. His hat, which he'd returned to his head, blocked her from seeing all of his face. But suddenly, he looked up at her, and now that she was able to see all of his expression, she found she couldn't really read it at all.

"Why was he so angry?"

Nami's lips parted, but no words found their escape from her mouth. Pulling her knees to her chest, she avoided Luffy's eyes as she found strength to begin.

"I… Well, Usopp and I…" Her voice cracked as she spoke.

x X x

When Usopp had declared he was going to grab something off the ship, Robin had watched him go without saying anything to him. She noticed Franky watching too.

"Oi, why don't we go find Zoro and Sanji and get their asses back here tonight so we can eat a super meal together as a crew," Franky suggested, and Robin thought he was trying to sound upbeat. Chopper, immediately, was all over the idea.

"Oooh! Yeah! We can go get Sanji from Rina's and I bet she can help find Zoro if he hasn't shown up yet! She knows this island's layout, after all. And Brook went into town - we can grab him on our way back!" The little doctor grinned, jumping to his feet.

"I think that's an excellent idea," Robin agreed, taking Chopper's tiny hoof in her hand as she led them all away to the path through the jungle that would take them to Rina's mansion. Unseen by Chopper, Robin and Franky shared a look - they didn't need words to know what the other was thinking.

x X x

Usopp had fled the that ship like it was on fire. Once he was back on sand, he slowed to a walk, processing what he'd just seen. He stared ahead, unseeing. He moved forward, his legs working on their own, like his body had gone on auto-pilot.

Earlier, he'd witnessed Nami and Luffy sitting together on the beach. He'd watched her leave Luffy's side and head towards the ship. He had kept watching as Luffy followed after her. His mouth had gone dry. Was he really seeing what it looked like he was seeing? Glancing back at Robin, he knew she'd seen it too. She caught him looking at her and raised her eyebrows. His neck twisted as he turned his attention back towards the Sunny, where the captain and the navigator had escaped to.

Chopper hadn't noticed anything. But he probably wouldn't, Usopp thought to himself. And then again, was there really something to be noticing? Would Nami really go and do something like that? No. No! Of course not. Right?

Minutes passed. It was eating at him. He couldn't sit there and let his imagination torture him.

Mumbling something about grabbing something from the Sunny, he'd walked off in that direction.

And now.. now he really, really wished he hadn't.

Usopp stopped in his tracks, realizing he was back at the spot where he'd left Franky and Robin and Chopper, and that they were nowhere to be found. Chest still tight, he decided to go find Sanji - he at least knew where the cook was. Brook could be anywhere. And Usopp didn't even know if Zoro had found his way out of the jungle yet, and he wanted to find someone because he sure as hell didn't want to be alone with his thoughts. With a deep breath, Usopp headed off in the direction of Rina's mansion, hands shoved deep in his pockets, concentrating on breathing rather than the emotions that were welling up inside of him.

x X x

Luffy's eyebrows shot up his forehead.

"Really?"

Nami nodded. "Yeah. But not since we've been all back together in the New World…" She buried her face in her hands, reliving her memories. The first time was memorable. Every time was memorable.

It was about two and a half years ago. Both Usopp and Nami's hair was much shorter back then. He'd been a lot scrawnier. They'd both been more cowardly.

There were times when Nami and Usopp would catch each others' eyes. Times amidst battles and trials at sea. Times when Sanji and Zoro and even Luffy were struggling - times like those, Nami and Usopp would look to each other, and they knew that they were sharing the feeling of realizing one's own mortality. Times when it really wasn't certain whether they'd live to see the next day - when time itself slowed down and they saw their own fates passing before them - the navigator and the sniper would gravitate towards each other. Hands, unseen by everyone else in the chaos, would find each other and squeeze, because God, it was somehow a bit less scary to die connected to someone else who understood.

And then there was the time Luffy nearly didn't make it. Well, there were several times that'd happened, because that's how Luffy was - he was either going to win, or he was going to die, simple as that. And this time in particular, he'd won by the skin of his teeth again. Nami, having survived the ordeal well enough, had gone to her room, wanting to get away from the aftermath. Robin hadn't followed - she was helping Chopper by fixing up Sanji and Zoro's less-fatal wounds so that the doctor could focus his full attention on the captain. The little reindeer assured everyone that Luffy would be alright, but he needed a lot of work. Franky, no worse for wear after he regained consciousness, had started to fix parts of the ship that'd been damaged in the battle. This was before they'd met Brook.

Nami was sitting on her bed, legs hanging off the end with her hands on her knees, staring intently on the floor, recalling parts of the fight. She almost shrieked when Usopp burst in the door. He was bloody, dripping it on the floor, but Nami hardly noticed. He was hyperventilating, his eyes wide.

The two stared at each other. They'd lost each other in the middle of battle, having been separated by challenging opponents. Usopp shut the door behind him and took several quick steps across the room, straight over to her, and he threw himself down on her, pinning her to the bed, hugging her tight as he took deep, shaking breaths against her shoulder. She had immediately returned his embrace, and the two of them clutched at each other, like one of them might suddenly disappear before the other's eyes. Because they knew, one day, they might.

Usopp lifted his head then, and so horribly and awkwardly, he crushed his lips against hers. She didn't mind his form - she didn't care at all, because she was feeling the exact same desperation, that need to attach yourself to something you love before it slips away from you one day, and it didn't have to be perfect or graceful. Nami readjusted along his nose and both of them were shaking now, their lips pressed together so hard because God, they were so glad to be alive.

That's how it began. It hadn't started off sexually between Usopp and Nami. In fact, they never had sex. But they would kiss and hold each other after battles that turned out to be more intense than they originally anticipated. There were times when they were alone, and Usopp would lose it and start spouting some outrageous story about destroying various enemies in the past, and tears would fall from his eyes while he told her his stories where the heroes and their friends and family never died. And nobody ever got hurt. Or sick. Nobody ever got scared. And Nami never interrupted him or laughed at him. Because she wanted to believe in those stories as much as he did.

It had been an unusual support system, and they never spoke of it after the fact. There had been one time, though, that Nami and Usopp hadn't stopped with kissing and holding. Hands had started to explore. Breathing changed. Bodies squirmed, seeking friction. Nami erupted into goosebumps when she heard Usopp moan. She hadn't known his voice could sound that way.

And Usopp, scared and frantic as she was, shivered against her body when she bit his shoulder. His hands slid along her sides, pushing her shirt up, exposing her stomach. They gasped and rubbed and twisted together. It was when both of them were bare from the waist up, glued together, hands reaching and grabbing, that Nami suddenly stopped. She sat up. Usopp sat up with her, concern on his face, but saying nothing.

"I … don't think we should." She paused, Usopp looking like he'd just received a physical blow worse than he'd suffered in any fight. "I just… the rest of the crew…" Her words fell short.

He stood up, re-adjusting and fastening parts of his clothes. His hair was a curly mess - it was nearly in dreadlocks at this point. He left the room without any sort of real response. That had been the last time they were ever close like they had been sometimes before. And he never spoke of it again.

After he'd gone, Nami grabbed up her bedsheets and hid them, washing off the blood that Usopp had gotten on them later in secret. She'd hurriedly scrubbed the floors, erasing all trace of him having ever been there.

She had wondered who the real coward on that ship was.

The navigator did not divulge all of these details to Luffy in her room that afternoon. She simply told him Usopp and she had kissed in the past, but nothing had ever come of it because she didn't want it to affect the crew.

"Well," Luffy said, standing up, grabbing her top and her bra, "I can see why he'd be angry, I guess. I'd probably be angry too." He walked over to her and offered his hand. She felt rotten.

Gripping his palm, she stood up, arms falling limp at her sides. "… What should I do, Luffy?" He passed her the clothes that'd come off during the sudden experience they'd shared together. She re-dressed herself in a hurry.

He opened the door and guided her out of it with a hand on her back. "I guess we should go find Usopp."

Nami's heart fell through her stomach. She didn't know how things had come to this. Years ago, she'd decided that the unity of the crew was more important than a romantic interest. And now she'd tossed all that out the window. She didn't want to go see Usopp. She didn't want to face him. But Luffy was right - there was no avoiding it. She had no idea what she'd say to him because she herself didn't know what the hell she was doing, or exactly why she did it.

Well. She knew why she did it. She was in love with the captain. But she was also in love with the sniper, and the cook, and the swordsman, and all of them. But why had she lost her self control? Why, after all this time, did she find herself unable to fight it anymore?

x X x

By the time Luffy and Nami made their way back to the spot where the crew had gathered before, everyone was gone. There wasn't a familiar soul in sight. With a sigh of temporary relief, Nami plopped down in the sand, rubbing her face.

"Nami, everything's going to be alright," she heard Luffy say from above her. She didn't know that she believed him.

He let her sit there for a minute longer before he pulled her up, saying they needed to go find the rest of the crew. The captain and the navigator decided to head for Rina's mansion. It was a good place to start.

"So…" Luffy began as they walked together. "… What's it like kissing Usopp?"

"LOADS better than kissing you! Shut up!" she yelled, punching him hard on the back of the head. She clenched her teeth as she listened to him chuckle.

x X x

Sanji and Zoro passed the time with idle chatter, managing not to break out into a heated argument right away. Whether it was because they were stuck together, or because they'd just released a lot of tension and aggression in a slightly less-violent way than they usually did, neither could say.

"But you at least screwed her, right?" Zoro asked, twiddling his thumbs while he sat hunched over. "If you went through all this and didn't even fuck her..."

Sanji bristled from his spot next to the swordsman. The blonde's torso was wrapped in part of Zoro's outfit, and he was sprawled out, laying on his back on the ground again. The green looked funny on Sanji. It wasn't a color he wore often. "Don't say it like that. And of course I did, asshole."

"Yeah? Any good?" Zoro had been slightly against destroying his clothes to make more bandages for Sanji, but then again, he didn't have a whole lot of other options.

"I guess. I was high the whole time." Sanji wanted a cigarette so bad his stomach hurt.

Zoro scoffed. "You've been fucked up the entire time we've been here. What's with that?"

Sanji rolled his eyes. "I don't know. I was just… going with the flow. I had fun most of the time, unlike you. What was it, two full days being lost in the jungle? The island's not that big, marimo."

Zoro growled. "Whatever."

"What's it to you? I mean, what do you care if i have physical relations with someone else?"

The swordsman shrugged at the chef, though Sanji wasn't even looking at him. "I was curious."

Neither said a word for another minute until Sanji broke the silence. "When was the last time you got laid?"

"A little over two years ago." Zoro didn't hesitate in giving his answers freely.

"Oh yeah?" Sanji laughed, "Anyone I know?"

"Luffy."

Sanji choked on the air in his lungs while Zoro grinned, enjoying the response.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** WELP. Some big reveals! How the hell is all this shit gonna work itself out wtf? The climax is approaching! Sorry that this chapter's a little shorter than normal - I wanted to start the next chapter with some action and stuff. It's really late again so I'll proofread this in the morning. Must sleep for now. Thanks for reading, everyone, and I hope you're enjoying the story so far. :D


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